Genesis of an Adventure
by Quinton Notwen
Summary: Prequel to both Digimon '01 and my two other digimon fics. Can five humans and their digital allies stop a power from the dawn of time?
1. Prologue: Genesis of an Adventure

**I don't own Digimon**

**Prologue: Genesis of an Adventure**

**888**

In the beginning there was nothing. Null ruled, but out of nothing came something. Twelve beings came from the null. They were the Founders. None knew from whence they came, not even they knew from where they came from. All they knew was that they looked around them and saw a tragedy of nothingness. The twelve each had a special attribute to them. The two most powerful were Kyoui of Miracles and Hiun of Fate. Next to them in power were the Founders Hikari of Light and Kurayami of Darkness. Yuubou of Hope was the third in strength and below him were the other seven guardians, Dokyou of Courage, Ravu of Love, Chishiki of Knowledge, Kouyou of Friendship, Tonkou of Sincerity, Shunin of Reliability and Kankou of Kindness.

The twelve worked together to build a world. They made plans to use the energy of close parallel worlds to create a world from discarded fragments of one of template worlds and giving those fragments life with the powers of the other worlds. It was a difficult task and one that seemed impossible. The world they created would not stay together and it collapsed.

The great Founders were dismayed by their creation's instability and collapse, but two of the Founders divined a way to hold their precious world together. The Founders Kyoui and Hiun gave the ultimate gift to the world they created. They gave themselves. They expended the totality of their energies to stabilize the world and build bridges between their world and the two worlds they used as a template, the Human World and the World of Dreams. The two Sacrificial Ones, before their sacrifice, left the Founders in the shared control of Kurayami and Hikari. The two of them divided the remaining Founders into two teams so that they may start creating denizens of their new world, their new Digital World. The Founders that worked with Hikari were Dokyou, Ravu, Chishiki and Yuubou. The Founders that assisted Kurayami were, Kouyou, Tonkou, Shunin and Kankou.

Years passed and the denizens of the Digital World, searched for their creators. The search was long and in vain for the Founders were not beings with physical form. Battles soon raged as to which Founder was the true creator, who was the most powerful. Wars broke out in fighting and chaos ensued.

The Founders were saddened by the turn of events. They had not expected such violence. The fighting was worse between the Viral and the Data digimon. Massive wars over who controlled Primary Village erupted over, on and around File Island. The Vaccine type digimon were nearly wiped out in the fights, but they escaped to the safer parts of the world.

The Founders saw the fighting and were greatly saddened and finally came to hold council. They wished not to get involved with the physical world, but it was now impossible to ignore the battle on the physical plane.

"What shall we do?" whispered Tonkou as she watched a flank of Betamon rush into the oncoming charge of Gabumon.

"There is not much we can do…" replied Kouyuu. He watched as in the air Patamon and Demi-Devimon fought elaborate dogfights above Infinity Mountain.

"We can't just give up," said Yuubou loudly. The other Founders looked up at Kurayami and Hikari.

"We have an idea," said Kurayami quietly. The shadow shifted slightly as a squadron of Hawkmon dive bombed a village of Impmon. "We need a digimon, which is neither of our work nor the work of Hikari-sama's team. We need a digimon that is a collaboration work."

"What do you mean collaboration?" Dokyou asked.

"We shall make one digimon, that holds both the powers of I; Hikari, with the powers of Kurayami-sama," said the glow softly as she looked at the other Founders. We shall work immediately. "Kurayami and I shall provide the breath of life to the creation; the rest of you will build the frame."

It took little time for the Founders to build their creation. All that was left was the work of Kurayami and Hikari. The two Founders drew up their strength and gently passed it on to the creature. The Founders watched in astonishment, though as the power of Kurayami and Hikari began to cancel each other out. The creature in one brief burst of life screamed in agony as the very thing that gave it life ate it from the inside. Twelve creatures were created and brought into the world this way and twelve creatures died in the same agonizing way.

"This is not something we can continue," said Kankou quietly as he watched, teary eyed, as the last beast dissolved in a maelstrom of darkness and light. "It is cruel to bring something into existence only to allow it to die in a matter seconds in an agony not even we as Founders can describe."

"We have to find away," replied Chishiki. "There has to be away I know it."

"Our strengths seem to be nullifying," said Kurayami as he turned to the world they had made. Explosions and flames were covering File Island. "But we must find a way around them!"

"Is it possible, that we can keep our powers separated and yet in the same vessel?" asked Hikari quietly. The glow looked at Chishiki.

"It may be possible, some of the digimon have been trying the same tactic to attain new powers," whispered Chishiki. He looked down to see a cyborg fly past only to see it dissolve into a white sphinx and a green, winged dragon.

"Kurayami and I will work on the separate dark and light organisms, the rest of you create a proper shell," announced Hikari loudly.

The next day they were ready to test their new organism. The beings of darkness and light stood in front of the Founders.

"You are my creation, Kage of the shadow," said Kurayami as he looked at the dark creature.

"And you are my creation, Kougen source of Light," said Hikari to a glowing entity.

"Together you shall have one body and be the shining example of what can be accomplished when Darkness and Light work together," said the two Founders as they reached forward, digitized the two organisms and implanted them within the vessel the other Founders created.

"You are now Lucemon," said the other Founders quietly.

Kurayami looked up in shock, "Why does this digimon hold the name of Light when he is created from both of us?"

"A name is a name, nothing more, Kurayami," replied Hikari quietly. She looked at the new digimon with a smile. It had fair skin and hair and overwhelming sapphire eyes. Twelve angelic wings unfurled from its humanoid body. Dark lines ran down its cheeks, chest and right arm.

It looked up in shock. "I…live…" It whispered quietly.

"You are the most special of digimon, you are the totality of our powers put into one, the strength within you is like no other power within any other digimon," said Hikari quietly to the angel.

"With your powers, Lucemon, you shall go to the physical realm and stop the wars happening there and restore the harmony that has been lost," said Kurayami quietly. The angel bowed slightly lowering his head and then opened his wings disappearing with in a stream of light and shadow.

Lucemon's eyes opened quietly and he could hear the sounds of battle close by. His ear wings tilted slightly. He knew what he must do and the angel opened his wings and took flight. He rose above the flames and smoke and the vying air powers. He closed his eyes and drew his hands together with the middle finger and the index finger extended to his nose and his thumbs holding his other two fingers against his palm.

A cloud of energy engulfed the angel. Flashes of crimson and blue erupted around the cloud. Peals of thunder roared from the angel. Lucemon opened his eyes. They were glowing. The right eye glowed with a bright, ice blue. The left eye glowed with a bloody crimson energy.

Silence filled the air as the other digimon stopped their attacks. The only sound was the unnatural peals of thunder and the sound of a whispering breeze. The digimon started to shudder in fear, some shouts called to attack the newcomer whispered up against the unnatural thunder.

"Fear not," shouted Lucemon, his voice amplified a thousand times by the energy that washed over the spherical bubble around him. "I come as an agent of the Founders. I come in the name of peace."

"Liar!" shouted the digimon they growled in unison. "Destroy it!"

Lucemon looked down in surprise as volleys of attacks flew at him. The angel lifted his hand vertically and swept it to the left. A huge wind washed from the right to the left catching the attacks and tossing them to the sea.

888

Leomon looked up at the newcomer, as a slave of the Data armies he had waited for the day that someone would stop these wars, but he never had believe he would see it in his lifetime. He smirked as the combined attacks of the Data army and the Viral army were swept aside by the angel.

The leader of the Data army walked up behind the lion man. "I don't believe it, could it be…this angel is sent from the Founders?"

A Patamon dove down from the skies. "General Centaurumon, I have an urgent communiqué!"

The horse bodied, humanoid torso-ed, digimon with a trojan helmet turned to the small flapping, tan colored, ear-winged hamster. "Well?"

"General Bakemon is asking for your presence in a neutral sector," replied the hamster quietly. "He has made a decision." The winged hamster unfurled a scroll. "In lieu of the recent events and the showing of power by a new force, we, the forces of the Viral digimon, have decided to implement a ceasefire agreement with the forces of the Data Digimon and with this new force. Negotiations for peace will start as soon as acceptance of this cease fire is established."

"Where does he wish to meet?" asked Centaurumon quietly.

"The ruins of the Chateau," replied Patamon.

"I will be there," said Centaurumon. The centaur digimon turned slightly to Leomon, "Maintain a watch, Vaccine; if you, in any way, let this command post fall, you will be punished."

The lion man nodded curtly and stood at attention under the gaze of Centaurumon. The horse man digimon turned and walked into the forest.

"I can't believe it," whispered Leomon with a smile. "This may be the last day of my forced servitude."

888

Lucemon stepped from the tent. He held in his hand three weeks of work. Finally peace was realized, at least on paper. He looked up at Infinity Mountain. The temple of the Founders was coming along nicely. He would make his residence there. He smiled softly, the Founders would be pleased.

Unfortunately that day of the first peace had passed. Lucemon, now living within the temple of the Founders, oversaw the entire island. The piece of paper that had ended years of war and slavery could not stop the overall hatred between the factions of the war, a hatred that did not favor Viral type digimon. The Viral digimon were being persecuted, hunted, and jailed for crimes that any other digimon would not even have to worry about. Many were hunted as criminals of war or just hunted because they were part of some horrible battle.

Lucemon did nothing. The angel could only watch. The Data Digimon and the Vaccine digimon weren't doing anything wrong per se, and to interfere would suggest a legal bias. The angel narrowed his eyes. He may not like it, but, he had no choice in the matter.

888

Lucemon was not the only one that noticed the events in the Digital World. Kurayami fumed angrily as he watched the persecution of his creations. He tore into the council chambers.

"I demand that something be done to stop this!" shouted Kurayami. The other Founders looked at the pulsing wave of darkness.

"Kurayami, such an act would be very taxing," replied Hikari quietly. "We should not interfere any further within the lives of the physical beings."

Kurayami glared and looked at Kouyou, Tonkou, Shunin and Kankou. "You will sit here and let those who are born of you suffer this indignity?"

"We cannot interfere any further," replied Kouyou. The Founder of friendship stood quietly, Tonkou, Shunin and Kankou stood behind him. "The Data digimon and the Vaccine Digimon are doing nothing wrong. It is their laws and we have no right to nullify them. It is for the best that we…"

"Traitors," Kurayami narrowed his eyes and turned. The shadow stormed from the council. He looked down upon the Digital World, "If the others won't help me then I will do it myself!"

It was this day that the first shadows fell over the Digital World.

888

Lucemon groaned as the flames heated the barrier that surrounded him. After years of superficial peace, something malevolent was brewing. Only weeks ago, he and his generals had put down the insurrectionist Dragomon. He had pushed the squid-like ocean lord into the Great Whirlpool, and then used the whirlpool as a nexus to tear a portal into the dark shadow world of the Digital World. Now something even more powerful was threatening them.

Lucemon looked down. A robed figure was staring back at Lucemon was fierce cobalt eyes. Its hand was clenched and flames were wrapped around it.

"I shall rule this world, and then we shall see who is mistreated," growled the cowled demon as he opened his palm. "Evil Inferno!" The barrier erupted in ruby energy as the flames threatened to shatter the bubble of protective energy.

"How are we doing, Taomon?" shouted Lucemon as he looked upwards at a yellow robed, priestly fox digimon. The priest was holding a piece of paper up.

"Oh…we could be doing better," grunted the digimon loudly.

"Just a little further," called Lucemon. He looked down at a purple robed, priestly fox digimon, "Doumon, can you help Taomon?" The priest nodded. Lucemon looked to his left and then to his right. "Wisemon, Angewomon, let's press him back!"

The female angel nodded her helmeted head and lifted her arm. A pair of wings flashed from her wrists, looking like a bow. The angel then drew back and an energy arrow appeared from mid-air. "Celestial Arrow!" the stream of light flashed down striking the robed beast in the chest. The digimon snarled in annoyance and dropped back slightly.

A demon swathed in brown robes, which covered everything save two golden eyes that glowed from within the shadows of the tan wrapped cowl and a pair of clawed hands, raised it arms. Two spheres filled his hands. "Eternal Nirvana!" Black lightning bolts crashed down on the pentagram amulet that rested on the red robes of the robed demon.

"Daemon, surrender, you cannot be victorious," shouted Lucemon loudly. The male angel and his four companions glided forward. Daemon retreated slightly from the oncoming assailants and hovered over a large pit. Lucemon looked down. "Now is our chance!"

"Fool, I shall never be destroyed by the likes of you weaklings!" shouted the demon lord loudly as he sent another stream of flame against the barrier.

"Everyone, together!" shouted Lucemon as Daemon opened his lavender wings preparing another attack.

"Talisman of Light!" Taomon flashed her hand up and a glowing kanji for Hikari appeared between her fingers and exploded forward as a single beam of pure light.

"Demon Gate Escape!" Doumon flashed his hand up. The kanji for Kurayami appeared in between the purple priest's fingers. A dark swirl appeared in front of the priest and a huge black beast raged forward before turning into a dark energy beam.

"Eternal Nirvana!" roared the robed wizard as he sent forward dark energy.

"Celestial Arrow!" a projectile of light shot forward from the winged bow of Angewomon.

Lucemon drew his hands together, saying a short prayer drew his hands apart forming a triangle between his fingers and thumbs. Eight objects, two on a spoke, extended from a central light source, "Grand Cross!" The cross of planets and stars fired forward.

It latched onto the Talisman of Light, the Demon Gate Escape, the Eternal Nirvana and the Celestial Arrow. "Divine Cross!" called the five Digimon as the cross turned into a streaming cross-shaped aurora and slammed Daemon into the pit.

Lucemon lifted his fingers. "May the power of Harmony hold you, from now on, may your evil never know the air of freedom; I seal you here!" The skies darkened as nine streams of light erupted from the heavens and swirled around the angelic child's fingertips. Lucemon flung his fingers forward and the pulse of energy exploded across the surface of the pit. Daemon was raging forward towards escape, but as he came closer to the cave his body motions slowed down until they lurched to a stop and the digimon froze in position, his cobalt eyes fixed in a murderous glare.

Lucemon sighed and then dropped forward. Angewomon snag the smaller angel and held him in her arms. "Lucemon, are you…?"

"Exhausted…used a lot strength…" whispered Lucemon as he looked behind the female angel and saw the still smoking craters from the battle that had ensued with Daemon. He knew they had vaporized a couple of villages in the fight. Many more digimon died today than he had wished. Daemon was ruthless and powerful. "Take us home…"

Angewomon nodded and called to the other three digimon and they turned east towards File Island.

888

Later that night, Lucemon looked down from his balcony overlooking the island. "It stretched my strength to the very brink to just seal him in that cave. I fear what would happen if another mighty demon came to power, I fear I can not hold off another." He looked down at a group of digimon walking along the road, leaving the temple. They were Champion digimon, and Andromon, an Ultimate machine digimon. "Why, why must I remain a Rookie when all others can digivolve?"

"We are different," whispered Lucemon in a slightly different voice. "Kougen, you know that we are different, we are more powerful than many digimon that are Ultimate level."

"None the less," the angel retorted to himself. "I don't wish to become impotent. We almost lost today. Too many died in that fight."

"I know," The angel whispered and sighed.

"Lucemon?" The boy angel froze. He turned his head slightly to see Angewomon standing at the entrance of the balcony.

"Angewomon, please, do not enter my room without knocking first," said Lucemon calmly.

"I did knock, Lucemon, but you must not have heard me," replied the woman as she walked forward. "I have the reports from Daemon's headquarters. The Order has made an evaluation…"

Lucemon narrowed his eyes. The Order was the Founders new toys. They were neither digimon nor the organic beings of the Template world. They were researchers, and reported to the Founders and more recently to Lucemon himself. "What have they said?"

"They believe Daemon has succeeded in creating a digimon," replied Angewomon.

Lucemon flinched slightly at the thought. "Where is it?"

"I have sent a group of Angemon to search out one of the outlying labs that Daemon had in the Southern Mountain passes overlooking the Zip Sea," Angewomon said quietly. "It's the last place to be searched so…"

"Destroy the creation when you find it," said Lucemon instantly. "Don't hesitate, it's a creation of Daemon, no good can come of it."

"But…" Angewomon started.

"Don't question my word; do it," said Lucemon as he turned to look out over the island.

"Is it fair to give it an execution without a trial?" asked Angewomon quietly.

"It's guilty by association, and it's too dangerous, just kill it," Lucemon replied. "Don't argue about it any further; just do as I told you!"

Angewomon nodded slightly and turned leaving Lucemon alone on the balcony.

888

"Get it off me!" shouted one of the Angemon loudly as a grey pod with six insect-like legs grasped the blue sashed angel's helmet.

The other three angels rushed forward, but it was too late, as they slapped the creature away they saw a huge hole drilled through the angel's helmet. The wound was bleeding and suddenly the angel exploded into dust.

"Hand of Fate!" a golden beam of energy exploded onto the creepy-crawly stunning it.

"Angel Rod!" A second angel dropped down slamming its staff down on the carapace of the mite and then twisted the staff trying to grind the insect into the floor.

"Stop this!" Angewomon appeared from a corridor. The Angemon dropped back in surprise as she female walked forward.

"Mistress Angewomon!" the three remaining male angels gasped.

Angewomon looked down at the insect on the floor. It was screaming loudly in pain and fear and was twitching. Angewomon knelt down beside the creature. "The lab files name you Arkadimon."

"Be careful, it's dangerous!" yelped the three Angemon.

"It's a Baby," returned Angewomon loudly. "Any threat it poses is because whoever was handling it wasn't careful." She narrowed her eyes and looked at the squirming Baby digimon. She whispered softly to herself. "I do not understand why Lucemon wants this poor, innocent creature destroyed. I cannot, in my heart, destroy this creature for no reason; other than an unfounded fear, but I must get rid of it or Lucemon will hunt it down." She looked up at the three Angemon. "Go, I will dispose of the creature myself. Go patrol the southern pass and make sure we got all the digimon that Daemon had power over."

The three angels nodded and left Angewomon. Angewomon lifted the baby up gently and stood. The baby cued softly. She turned and left the lab walking out into the sun.

888

"Lucemon, you called me?" Angewomon walked into Lucemon's quarters. It was now late at night. The child angel was standing out on the balcony once more.

"You defied me," Lucemon stated calmly.

Angewomon gasped slightly and took a step back. "No, Lucemon, never, I would never…"

"Don't lie to me," said Lucemon in reply. "I know you did not destroy the beast. Do you really think I couldn't sense you creating a seal in my own temple?" Lucemon turned abruptly. "I trusted you, more than the others, because we were similar, but now, now, I don't think I can trust you at all."

"IT was a baby!" shouted Angewomon loudly. "It was harmless!"

"Babies grow, you knew this baby was created by Daemon, it killed one of your men!" shouted Lucemon in reply. "It was not harmless!"

"They mishandled it," said Angewomon calmly trying to regain her composure.

"It attacked them, why do you protect it?" asked Lucemon quietly.

"It's a baby, it had no choice to be created the way it was, it didn't choose to be created by Daemon," said Angewomon quietly. She looked at Lucemon. "It is innocent of Daemon's crimes; we have no right to execute it."

"Now we have no way of executing it," growled Lucemon. He turned and looked to the sea. "The seal is protected by the Founders, until their influence over this temple wavers, the baby is protected." Lucemon turned slowly and walked to Angewomon. He gently put the palm of his hand on the exposed portion of the female's stomach, under the leather bands that wrapped around her midriff. She struggled slightly but Lucemon looked up at her with soulful, sad, sapphire eyes Angewomon stopped, a question on her facial features. Lucemon's eyes watered, "You, on the other hand…" There was a sharp stab as a spear of dark energy ripped through Angewomon's body. "I am very sorry…" whispered Lucemon as he gently laid the female angel on the ground.

"Why…?" gasped Angewomon. Little flecks of blood were on her lips.

"With the world as it is, I cannot allow defiance, I am sorry, but you have to be an example, I hope you are not in too much agony, I tried to be as benevolent with your punishment as possible," Lucemon whispered as watched Angewomon dissolve into data particles. He closed his eyes and stood. A tear ran down his cheek. "I am alone again. I shall be alone forever…"

"Not so…" whispered a voice from the shadows. Lucemon tensed up and searched his quarters and in the corner of the room were two objects, an amulet, and a book. The voice whispered quietly, "Use these and you shall gain the security that you need and the companionship you never had…"

888

The digimon were blindly following Lucemon's orders. The Founders were astounded at the angel's actions. He was warping their minds and crushing the resistance fiercely. His generals, Wisemon, Taomon, Doumon, had all been eliminated. It was well known that anyone who resisted was destroyed immediately.

"This cannot last," said Hikari quietly. "It was not intended for Lucemon to take over in this way."

"His strength is increasing as well," whispered Yuubou, "beyond what we gave him."

"I fear that Kurayami is behind this, he has been gone from this realm for too long," growled Kouyou. "We must call him back here."

"I will search him out," whispered Yuubou. The emerald glow shifted slightly.

"No," Responded Hikari quickly. "We shall go together. We must stop Lucemon and Kurayami."

888

"Agumon Warp digivolve to WarGreymon!" A small red Dinosaur erupted from a golden light as a eight foot tall, armored, dragon man with small curved horns coming out of the sides of its skull.

"Gabumon Warp digivolve to Metal Garurumon!" rasped a blue furred digimon with a single horn coming out of its head as he metamorphosed to a metallic wolf.

"Biyomon Warp digivolve to Phoenixmon!" A small pink sparrow blasted into the sky as a huge, golden quadra-winged bird of prey.

"Tentomon Warp digivolve to Hercules Kabuterimon!" a small, red ladybug grew into a huge, golden, horned beetle and roared into the sky.

"Gomamon Warp digivolve to Plesiomon!" the white, purpled polka dotted seal burned with a white light before emerging as a large white Plesiosaur with a long white neck and a pair of flipper like wings that matched its flipper legs.

"Palmon Warp Digivolve to Rosemon!" the small green plant with a pink blossom hair do warped to a seven foot tall crimson clad woman that had a rose-like helmet that covered her eyes. A long thorny roped was tied to her right hip and a sheath was fastened to her left hip.

"Patamon Warp digivolve to Seraphimon!" The small tan hamster glowed brightly before appearing as a tall, azure armored, angel with six golden wings.

"Salamon Warp Digivolve to Magnadramon!" The small puppy/kitten turned bright pink as morphed into an oriental, pink dragon. Two swept back goat horns protruded from its head and overlaid a pink frill. Ten pink wings extended from the dragon's daschund-like body.

"Now," whispered a voice from the earth, "As the Founders find and reclaim Kurayami you must find and capture Lucemon."

The eight Mega Digimon nodded and flew into the east.

"Awe, we want to help, too!" grumbled four rookie digimon. A Veemon, lead the group. Next to him was a Hawkmon, who stood next to an Armadillomon. A Wormmon stood towards the back.

"As you wish," replied the voice. A golden light flowed from the ground. "I must rest now; I have expended much energy…"

"Veemon Golden Armor digivolve to Magnamon!" The blue dragon exploded with light as he was covered in gold armor that glowed with its own light.

"Hawkmon Golden Armor digivolve to Peacockmon!" Spiky wings and blue, crystalline feathers jutted from Hawkmon as he digivolved into the tall, lithe, sapphire, humanoid peacock warrior Peacockmon.

"Armadillomon Golden Armor digivolve to Elephamon!" The golden Armadillomon grew huskier as purple armor covered his body and large turbine like ear emerged from the side of his head.

"Wormmon Golden Armor digivolve to Kongoumon," Wormmon glowed as he turned into a large, round beetle that held chakras in its hands. A long cloth unfurled over its hips and down to the ground. The beetle bowed to the earth, "Thank you, Kyoui."

"Ok, Let's go kick some booty!" shouted Magnamon as he turned to follow the Mega digimon.

888

A pillar of darkness had fallen over Infinity Mountain. It twisted slowly on its axis. Small rivers of lavender energy course up and down the long shaft of malevolent darkness that seemed to pour from the sky.

Eight Mega digimon were hovering tentatively around the pillar. A figure glided from the shadows. It had twelve feathery wings.

"Lucemon!" shouted Seraphimon loudly. "Do not try to escape; the Founders have summoned us to capture you!"

The figure stopped. It turned slowly. The digimon lifted a book up. A flash of lavender energy snapped from the pillar and coursed through the figure's body. A red aura swept over the figure and suddenly the digimon changed. It digivolved. The eight Mega digimon looked down at the new creature with worry. They knew Lucemon, as himself would be a handful to deal with but, now, this new creation could be near omnipotent.

"I will be going nowhere, I will make this world better, and safer, the Founders failed paradise by making different kinds of digimon, I won't make that mistake!" growled the figure as it flew forward.

"Do not proceed!" shouted WarGreymon loudly.

"Or what?" snapped the creature. It moved from the shadow of the pillar. The digimon had twelve wings, half dark and mammalian, the other half white and angelic. It had golden hair and wore a dark grey jacket over a white body suit. Gold and crimson adorned portions of the digimon's clothes. Its hands were clawed and bestial; its face was like a fair human's save for a lightning bolt like marking that ran down from its right eye and down its right cheek. "You'll hurt me?"

"That's the plan," growled Hercules Kabuterimon. The huge laced wings whirred loudly and the large Y-shaped horn sparked with energy.

"Go on then, try!" shouted Lucemon loudly. The angelic demon disappeared in a flurry of movement. Seconds later all eight Digimon were sent flying in a flurry of kicks, head butts and punches.

"Rose Rapier!" Rosemon slashed forward but Lucemon side stepped and drove his elbow into the flower woman's back.

He twirled around to counter WarGreymon's gauntlets. He slammed his foot into WarGreymon's stomach propelling the dragon man into Infinity Mountain. Streams of light comets shot down slamming Lucemon. The angel looked up to see Phoenixmon fly overhead. Lucemon drew his hands together, cupping his palms and then he pushed his hands forward.

"Paradise Lost!" a blast of crimson energy slammed Phoenixmon sending the bird twirling into the forest below.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" missiles flew forward. Lucemon weaved through the projectiles and slammed his fist up against Metal Garurumon's chin. The metal wolf spiraled out of control.

"Mega Electro Shocker!" an arrow of lightning erupted from the golden beetle behind Lucemon. The angel swept around to be caught in the chest with a bolt of lightning the bolt exploded loudly and a wave of smoke rolled in all directions. The insect chuckled. "I got him!"

"Never believe smoke equates destruction," whispered Lucemon from Hercules Kabuterimon's side. The insect turn in surprise only to be met with the butt of Lucemon's palm. The insect was sent flipping sideways. The angel appeared above him and joining his hands together hammered the insect downward. Lucemon reached into his jacket and pulled out his book. "With this I am indestructible!"

"Strike of the Seven Stars!" The blue archangel pushed its cupped hands forward. Six periphery blasts and a central blast of golden energy shot forward. Lucemon swept his hand around the book pulsed nullifying the attack.

"Shaking Pulse!" Rings of sonic energy fired up at the angelic demon. Lucemon pushed the book forward reflecting the attack at the large plesiosaur that created it.

"Fire Tornado!" A spinning storm of flames shot at Lucemon. The demonic angel put his book forward and a barrier caused the flames to sweep around the beast.

Lucemon lifted the book up. It glowed brightly and then eight blasts of energy shot in all directions exploding around the attacking Mega digimon. The eight, Founder-sent digimon dropped from the sky like flies.

"You are impotent, just like the Founders, I am the superior, the best of both worlds, as such I will recreate this world in my image and make it a vast utopia!" shouted Lucemon in victory. He held his book aloft, "And with this nothing can stop me!"

"Magna Blast!" a golden bolt blasted the book, ripping it from Lucemon's grasp. "Now, Peacockmon!"

Lucemon turned to the west to look in the direction the blast had come from. A golden armored, blue skinned dragon was rocketing towards him. Below him was a sapphire, jewel like humanoid peacock. Behind him was a golden beetle carrying a large, purple armored elephant with turbine ears. The blue peacock grabbed Lucemon's book with its feet and started to fly further east.

"No you don't! GIVE THAT BACK!" roared Lucemon as he dove after the peacock.

"Magna Blast!" golden bolts exploded around the angelic demon.

Lucemon growled spun around and flicked his finger in the armored digimon's direction. A crimson lightning bolt engulfed the armored creature and sent it tumbling towards the ground. Lucemon turned to chase the peacock.

"I want my GOSPEL!" shouted the demonic angel as he pursued the jeweled bird.

"Tusk Missile!" golden missiles exploded in front of Lucemon. He turned to find the elephant digimon hovering, using its turbine ears as rotors, and its tusks preparing to launch again.

"Vajra!" golden laser lanced their way around Lucemon. The angel curled its wings blocking the annoying assault by the golden armored beetle.

"Rainbow Shower!" red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet streamers rained down on Lucemon exploding as they made contact with the angel.

"Terra Force!" An orange ball exploded from the forests of the foothills of Infinity Mountain.

"Crimson Flare!" swirling red flames washed forward as the golden bird screeched from the canopy of File Island's forests.

"Shaking Pulse!" Plesiomon roared loudly.

"Strike of the Seven Stars!" Seraphimon's seven orbs rushed from the mountain side.

"Dragon Fire!" A twisting maelstrom of white flames erupted from a pink dragon that was curling towards the demonic angel.

"Mega Electro Blaster!" The golden hurled a stream of lightning at Lucemon.

"Thorn Whip!" A green tendril wrapped around Lucemon's arms and chest. Lucemon growled angrily as he struggled against Rosemon.

"Giga Missile!" the chest of Metal Garurumon opened and a purple missile whistled forward. The missile exploded on contact, releasing its freezing contents all over Lucemon.

"We got him…?" growled WarGreymon in hesitation.

"Now what?" Hercules Kabuterimon asked.

"Get him away from this island!" replied Seraphimon. "There is a nearby island, Setup Island to the north. We shall take him there." The others nodded in agreement and flew northward.

WarGreymon and his team approached Setup Island. Peacockmon, Kongoumon, Elephamon and Magnamon stayed behind to hide the Gospel, and an amulet that they had discovered on the ground under the battle scene.

The Mega Digimon hovered over Setup Island and looked down. The ice cracked loudly.

"Crap, he's escaping!" shouted Plesiomon.

"Not if I can stop him!" Seraphimon shouted. He cupped his hands; a golden glow enveloped the blue angel. "Testament!" The ice shattered revealing the child-like rookie Lucemon.

The child-like angel only had seconds of freedom before a golden light slammed into him and he tumbled through the roof of a temple chapel. The eight Mega digimon glowed with a rainbow of colors that flew forward like multicolored missiles. Each color slashed through the temple. As each color ran through the temple the respective Mega Digimon exploded into data.

888

Magnamon tossed the amulet into the ocean. He turned to see Elephamon glow a bright gold and disappear. He looked down at himself. The golden light shimmered from his armor and he also disappeared. Peacockmon and Kongoumon shouted in protested but seconds later they were gone in a flash of gold.

888

"Was that necessary?" asked Dokyou.

"It was, they forfeited their lives to protect their world, their sacrifice will not be forgotten," replied Hikari quietly with a bowed head.

"Was it enough to only imprison the traitor Lucemon?" asked Shunin quietly.

"It is enough; Lucemon will know this imprisonment until someone defiles this temple. I hope within the depths of my heart that one day, our greatest of prodigy will be freed from his contamination and can be free once more, until then he must endure this prison," responded Hikari. She turned and looked at a shadow that was constrained by Yuubou and Kouyou. "You, Kurayami, on the other hand, your treachery will be punished severely."

"What can you do?" growled Kurayami loudly. "You can't destroy me!"

"I have something else in mind," whispered Hikari. She turned and in the depths of the Digital World's reality between the barrier to the shadow world of the Dark Ocean and the actual Digital World, in a limbo of sorts, a wall of fire appeared; a second barrier appeared between the Dark World and a small region of limbo behind the Wall of Fire. "You shall be imprisoned in this region. You'll be able to see the pleasure of the Digital World and the anguish of the Dark World and you shall feel every particle of malice, hatred, sadness and failure that passes through this world to Dark World where the data of malicious digimon is stored. Unfortunately for you, most digimon that fail to digivolve live a life full of malice, as we have seen with Lucemon, and thusly die with this evil in their heart, you will know their pain, and yet be able to see the happiness of this realm."

"You can't do this!" shouted Kurayami.

"We can, and have," replied Hikari. The seven other Founders appeared next to her. Together they bowed their heads and their powers ensnared Kurayami and though he struggled he could not escape their grasp and he was plunged into his hell pit.

"I WILL BE FREE ONE DAY!" screamed Kurayami. "I will never be contained completely; my darkness runs through this world!"

"And we will be ready for your return, lost one," replied Hikari as the flames closed behind Kurayami.

"We must converse with the Order to find a new way to protect our world…" whispered Yuubou.

The others nodded quietly and disappeared into the ether. The Order worked for years after they were approached, they could only answer by saying the spirit energy of the children of the Template World were the only ones with the power to safely digivolve digimon. Devices could be made to measure out proper energy levels; the Founders acquiesced to the Order's suggestions of preparing for the worst. Unfortunately the worst would come sooner than they believed and the first ones were chosen.

**888**

**AN: This is a prequel to my time line that includes _Fall of Harmony_ and_ In the Shadow of Chaos_ this story shouldn't have any real bearing on _In the Shadow of Chaos_. I don't know how fast I will update since I am still working with _In the Shadow of Chaos_ and theoretically that project should take precedence. I may take days, weeks, or a month, I don't know and I do not work any faster when shouted at so don't try that tactic. **


	2. The Chosen

**I don't own Digimon**

**The Chosen**

**888**

"Fossil Wind!" A grey spiral washed through the town, followed by a twisting, green and white, serpentine dragon dove from the sky. Two large feathered wings extended from the beast's shoulders. The building's hit by the spiral of wind turned to rock.

"It's Coatlmon!" screamed a herd of digimon as they ran down the streets

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a figure on top of one of the roofs of the town's buildings. It was a humanoid wearing simple farmers' clothes. He held a loaded bow. The eyes of the stuffed crow on the digimon's shoulder sparkled. "William's Arrow!" The arrow flashed forward; as it flew it became swathed in lavender energy and then exploded in front of the mob of digimon.

"Run!" screamed the digimon as they scattered. The group dispersed, leaving several trampled underneath.

"Flare Buster!" A flame armored moth was sending waves of flames forward. Buildings erupted in balls of fire.

"Hurry, get out," whimpered an old Burgermon as he pushed his children out of the house.

The house collapsed on the old digimon.

"PAPA!" screamed the children.

"Awe, it's so sad when children are orphans," The children looked up. A green moth was hovering over them. His abdomen extended into a large Gattling gun. His fuzzy antenna twitched. "Let me take your pain away…" the children looked up in fear as the Gattling gun went off.

888

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" A golden fox threw little golden leaves forward and they exploded into a squadron of metallic pterosaurs. "Come on!"

"You aren't the boss of me!" shouted a small round digimon with bat-like wings.

"Fine, you face those things on your own!" shouted the fox as she ran down the street.

The bat turned to see Coatlmon diving towards him. "Oi, Renamon wait for me!" screamed the winged ball as it flapped feverishly after the golden fox.

888

"Pepper Breath!" yelped a yellow dinosaur. A ball of flame flew at a slowly approaching fire cat.

"Pyro Sphere!" A black and red dragon barked and a red ball of heat shot forward at the cat.

"Thermal Mane!" The lynx's mane erupted sending a wave of heat towards the two reptilian digimon. The two digimon crashed against a wall.

"Metal Cannon!" a large ball bearing slammed into the side of the cat's head sending it reeling backward. A chunk of building crashed down on top of the fire cat. A purple fox like creature hopped down. It was bipedal, and seemed to walk similarly to a bird, but it had two little arms and a pair of little wings on its shoulders. A bushy purple tail swished behind it. It turned its head, "Let's get out of here!"

"I'm with you," whimpered the yellow dinosaur.

"Me too," replied the red dragon quietly.

The purple fox raptor bounded like a kangaroo rat before moving into a more pheasant like run. The red dragon followed with a similar avian gait with its arms trailing to its side. The small, yellow tyrannosaur ran with a more humanoid run.

"Get back here!" roared the lynx as it exploded from the debris, but the three digimon were already around the corner.

888

"Where are they?" grumbled the winged ball loudly. He and Renamon were standing on a hill overlooking the massacre.

"DemiDevimon, don't be such a whiner," whispered Renamon quietly. The fox narrowed her blue eyes at the midnight blue, round, bat digimon. It was standing next to her on its clawed feet. "They were probably held up by the attackers."

"We should retreat to Primary Village," grumbled the bat. He turned. A Patamon was hovering behind him.

"No good, the Armored forces have encircled the Village, and the Temple is being attacked as we speak, even the Bakemon village has been captured and Lord Bakemon was entombed in the chapel," said the Patamon quietly.

"What about the factory?" Renamon asked quietly.

"The last I heard a spearhead was attacking lord Andromon," whispered the winged hamster.

"There is no where to run…" whispered DemiDevimon.

"Then we fight," growled Renamon.

"What?" yelped DemiDevimon. "Have you lost your fur filled mind?"

"Well you guys have fun fighting the hordes, I'm outta here!" yelped the winged hamster as it flew for the forest.

888

"Retreat!" shouted Leomon as he pulled back his guards from the balcony and shut the heavy, wooden doors. "Regroup in the inner sanctum, we shall fight them there as one!"

"No, we fight them here!" shouted Ogremon loudly. "I'm tired of backing down from these clowns!"

"Meteor DANCE!" The doors exploded open.

Four digimon entered the large room that Leomon and Ogremon their squadrons were occupying. A large white and blue digimon with long muscular arms glided in on long marble wings. Riding on its back were three digimon. The middle digimon wore green robes and a red cloak. He had a blue face with wild hair that exploded from his head. Next to him on his right was a flower like digimon with golden robes and its hands were flowers with lion-like faces in the palms. Its lion-like face was surrounded by pink and red petals. The digimon on the left of the middle digimon had an oval, aboriginal mask and a monkey-like body. It held a large boomerang. The middle digimon hopped down and looked at Leomon. The inner door exploded open and a large, flame armored centaur walked forward. A large red insect was buzzing over the centaur as the flame armored digimon lifted a bow and loaded an arrow into place.

Leomon slowly raised his hands. "Men, stand down."

"No!" shouted Ogremon loudly. "Fight on, don't let these fools intimidate you!"

"Ogremon, it's useless," growled Leomon quietly. The lion man put his hand against the chest of the green man. "We've been beaten."

"No!" shouted Ogremon. The green muscular digimon pushed Leomon out of the way. "I won't go down without a fight!"

"Ogremon! You Fool!" shouted Leomon loudly.

"Scarlet Hair!" a spear of red follicles flashed forward from the green robed digimon.

Ogremon eyes flashed wide. The golden, furred body of Leomon was run through. The red filaments of hair wiggled out of Leomon's back like little red maggots. Leomon had grabbed Ogremon and pulled him back and had taken the hit for him.

"You idiot!" shouted Ogremon. "You always had to be the courageous one."

"Ogremon…" Leomon murmured the lion as the red hair pulled from his body and muscular man staggered back. The green ogre caught the lion. Leomon looked up at the ogre's green horned face. "Promise me you'll surrender, you have to live to help liberate this island, don't let anymore of our men die for a futile cause."

Ogremon looked at the lion as his face fizzled and wafted away into dust. Ogremon looked up at the digimon in the red cloak.

"Well, ogre, will you take your friend's advice?" asked the robed digimon with a smug smile.

"He's not my friend," Ogremon narrowed his eyes.

"I see, well I have plenty of hair for you," smirked the digimon. Ogremon growled loudly and slowly lifted his hand dropping his club. The robed digimon smiled, "Sagittarimon, FlyBeemon, Gargoylemon, take our prisoners to jail."

"You won't get away with this, Baronmon!" shouted Ogremon to the cloaked digimon, as he was led away. His regiment of rookie digimon rumbled the same chant.

"Silence them if they get too rowdy," said Baronmon as he was joined by the other two digimon that he rode in with. He looked at his companions. He looks to his right, "Kabukimon," and then to his left, "Sepikmon," He then looked at the inner doors. "Let us go ascend to our throne." He drew his red cloak around him and walked forward, followed by the flowery priestess and the monkey shaman.

888

The inner sanctum doors swept open. Pidmon looked up in anger. "What is the meaning of this?" shouted the red sashed angel loudly. He stood up and lifted his golden staff.

"We are taking over," shouted a red cloaked digimon loudly. "You have been dismissed from your duty." The red cloaked digimon walked forward; he was followed by a flowery digimon and a primate digimon. "But before you leave, I must ask, where is the seal?"

Pidmon growled softly. "What seal?"

"Oh, don't be a fool," replied the lead digimon. "The seal that holds…"

"I would never tell you that!" shouted Pidmon. The angel pointed his staff forward, "You will leave my presence at once!"

The red cloaked digimon sighed quietly. "Don't attempt to destroy us. You'll only hurt yourself."

"We'll see who'll be hurting!" shouted Pidmon. "Fire Feather!" a red beam swimming with flaming feathers raged forward.

"Cherry Blossom Storm!" A pink swirl of flower petals from the flower digimon slammed against the beam and the feathers and flowers wrestled with each other in the air.

"Split Boomerang!" the ape digimon threw a bent stick at Pidmon. The stick spun into a blur and then split in two and slammed Pidmon in the head and gut before returning to the ape as one implement.

The angel staggered backward in pain and shock. He slid to a stop and pushed his staff forward. "Pid Speed!" the angel disappeared in a blur of movement.

The cloaked digimon smirked and lifted his hand. A harpoon of red hair exploded from the arm of green robes. Pidmon appeared in midair a river of hair pushing through his midsection. The cloaked digimon pulled the angel in close.

"See, I told you, you'd get harmed," said the digimon soothingly.

"Baronmon, you won't win," hissed the angel quietly.

"Who will stop me? You've been disposed of, your generals are either captured or destroyed," whispered Baronmon quietly.

"They will come and stop you, the humans!" replied the angel.

"Oh yes, the prophesied ones," smirked Baronmon quietly. "Even Sepikmon knows that they won't come, and if they do come, they won't be able to stop us once we have the contents of the seal," The red fibers of hair within Pidmon twisted and the angel howled in pain. Baronmon smiled, "Now, tell me where the seal is, I can sustain your life in this condition indefinitely, and if I have to drag you all over this temple to look for the seal I will, but if you tell me, I may be willing to end your life, humanely."

"Never," hissed Pidmon. The angel clenched his fist and lifted it up. "You will not get the Baby through me!" His fist glowed bright red and slammed it into the rod of hair that held him up. The hair snapped and the angel fell to the ground exploding in data.

"Such fools these heroes be," Baronmon sneered as he retracted his hair back into his robes. He walked forward and then turned to his companions, "before we attempt to find and activate the seal we must evict the patrons of this temple. Do it in anyway that suits you. Without the worshippers the Founders will leave, that should weaken the barrier enough for us to break it."

The lion faced flower and the apish shaman nodded and left the inner sanctum to Baronmon.

888

"It's time, you know it is," whispered a woman's voice.

"We aren't ready," said a man.

"The devices are ready," said the woman quietly. "The other implements are still in production though…"

"Right now all we need are the devices," said a younger male. The other two looked up at him. He wore tan robes and had spiked brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Rathiel, Luminel, we must call them, it's not just File Island under attack, malicious powers are gathering their strength all over the world," said the young man. "Send the devices, and put all of the Order's resources in preparing the other implements."

"Yes, Gennai," said the two others in unison. They also wore long tan robes. The female had hazel eyes and soft red hair, the male was blonde with golden eyes. They stood, "We have sent the trackers and have settled on five humans. Their partners are on File Island."

"That's good," replied Gennai quietly. "I hope that this works, the Digital World is in a crisis, we need them."

The other two nodded quietly and left the conference room.

888

Haru walked down the street quietly. He grumbled slightly. A small boy was dancing around behind him. The boy had short, blonde hair, but most of it was hidden under a green hat; he wore a blue windbreaker and grey shorts. It was the last day of school. Summer was beginning.

"Summer, Summer, it's summer!" sang the boy off key. "You don't know how wonderful it is until its summer!"

"WILL YOU STOP, JIRO!" shouted the taller blonde boy. The small boy stumbled forward in shock.

"I'm sorry, Haru," said the boy said quietly. "It's just…that it's…"

"Don't you dare start it up again," Haru grumbled quietly as he put his hands into his jeans pockets.

"But it is…" Jiro started.

"Don't say it!" yelped Haru loudly.

"But…" insisted Jiro.

"Shh," shushed Haru loudly as he put his hands through his spiky blonde hair.

"Uh…Haru…" whispered Jiro. He was looking in the sky.

"What now?" the boy growled. He turned to the smaller boy. Jiro pointed to the sky.

Haru looked up. Two comets of light were rocketing towards them. Haru's hazel eyes grew exponentially as the comets zeroed in on them. He staggered backward grabbing Jiro by the collar of the boy's windbreaker. The two of them fell on the grey sidewalk pavement. The light comets flew up to them and stopped inches from the boys' faces. One shimmered a silent blue the other a soft emerald. The glow faded and two devices appeared and dropped in the boys' laps.

Haru lifted the device up. His action was copied by Jiro.

"So…what now?" whispered Haru. He looked to Jiro and in a wink of an eye the two of them disappeared in a flash of light.

888

"Hey, Kisho!" shouted a young girl as she ran forward. She was wearing a maroon skirt and top. She had a bag and a purse over a shoulder.

A boy with spiky, brown hair turned slightly and waved at the oncoming girl. "Hi Ren, are you ready for summer?"

"Yep, just found out I'm going to camp up in the mountains," said the girl with a smile.

"That sounds like fun, I have to work with my grandfather on his fishing boat," said the boy with a sigh.

"What's wrong with that, Kisho, days out on the ocean, the sea breeze, the rolling ocean…," The girl looked at the boy and furrowed her brow, "What's wrong…?"

The boy's cheeks were green, "I get seasick…"

"Oh!" said the girl in realization. "Then why do you have to help your grandfather on his boat, Kisho?"

"To make a man out of me," grumbled Kisho as he shook his head, the spikes of brown hair shifting slightly with the movement. "I just really wish I didn't have to go. You know what I mean right, Ren?"

"Yeah," Ren leaned in slightly towards Kisho's ear and whispered. "Confidentially, I don't want to go camp…all mud and dirt and wild animals," she made a face and shuddered. "I really would rather stay home and bask in my freedom…." Her eye stared up at the blue sky.

"What?" Kisho turned following Ren's line of sight. Two streamers of light curled across the sky and seemed to be flying at them like two guided missiles. "Get down!" shouted the boy and jumped pushing Ren to the ground and covering her from what ever explosion was coming.

"KISHO!" yelped the girl in surprise. "GET OFF OF ME!" before Kisho could react he had five knuckles socking him in the cheek. The boy propelled in the direction of the punch. He shook his head and looked. The two lights were hovering over the both of them. The glow faded and two devices dropped out of the air and landed in their laps.

"Woah," gasped Ren.

"What are th…?" a light snatched the two children up.

888

"Hey, TAAAAKUUU!" shouted a voice from behind a pale dark haired boy. "You gonna get a tan this summer?" sniped the voice.

Taku closed his eyes in aggravation and clenched his fists and walked forward, ignoring the comment.

"Oh I think I got him mad!" shouted the voice. There were a number of giggles behind him and he just walked forward. His fists shook the little, leather, spiked straps around his wrists trembled.

"I just want to go away," said Taku quietly as he walked away from the school yard.

He hit the corner and ran from the school. He closed his eyes. Warm balls of water curled out of his tear ducts. He ran blindly up the street. His short black hair swept back by the air moving past him. He hated them. They were so stupid, he hated them all. He was going to run all the way home and then lock himself in his room. Suddenly something punched him in the chest. Taku staggered backward and fell on his butt. He looked up in anger, expecting to see a foe of some sort, but instead a lavender light hovered in front of him. The glow shifted, darkened and then disappeared before the object within it dropped into the boy's lap.

"What's this?" asked the boy quietly. A light snagged the boy and he disappeared.

888

"It's about time!" shouted DemiDevimon as three digimon breached the hill. The first was a purple, furred raptor, the second a red and black dragon and the third a yellow dinosaur. They ran up to DemiDevimon and Renamon.

"Shh," growled Renamon as she pulled the three digimon into the hiding tree, she was standing by.

"It's a little cramped," whimpered the red dragon quietly.

"Well, if your butt wasn't so big, Guilmon, it wouldn't be so cramped," grumbled DemiDevimon.

"Hey, I can't help it I'm big boned!" whined the dragon in affront.

"I'm not worried about being cramped bu…ACHOO!" the yellow dinosaur sneezed as Renamon's and the purple digimon's fluffy tails swiped over its wide snout. "Renamon's and DORUmon's tails are annoying my nose."

"Sorry, Agumon," whispered the purple digimon as he moved his purple tail, sweeping it under Guilmon and DemiDevimon making them giggle.

"Be quiet!" Renamon snapped as she looked through the translucent portal between the interior of the tree and the outside. A large white and blue moose was stomping around. It snorted angrily and then moved on quietly.

"Now what?" grumbled DemiDevimon. "What are we going to do? That Patamon, before he ran to hide, said that the Armored digimon have all the big cities and the Temple…"

"I don't know," whispered DORUmon quietly. He swished his tail.

"ACHOO!" the five digimon stumbled out of the hiding tree and collapsed on the ground with Agumon on top. "Sorry…"Agumon stood up quietly and gasped.

The others looked up. "This is…remarkable." Renamon whispered quietly. A large ball of light hovered over the ground. Suddenly it flashed and in front of the digimon were a pile of beings they had never seen before.

"Those things…" yelped the being in a maroon skirt. "Just talked…"

She scrambled off the group of the others and backwards. The other four grumbled fiercely as they attempted to disentangle themselves.

"I think…" whispered DORUmon quietly, "these are humans…"

"WHAT!" yelped the other digimon in surprise.

"No way, these human things are supposed to be very powerful and strong!" retorted DemiDevimon as he flew forward and grasped the one dressed in black and held up his arm, "Look, its all skin and bone no muscle tone whatsoever!"

"GET OFF OF ME!" the creature swept its other arm around with its fist clenched and cracked DemiDevimon in the temple sending the little bat digimon whirling through the air and through the hiding tree where he crashed into the interior with a thud.

The bat staggered from the tree. He weaved back and forth, lifted a wing and whispered, "I may have miscalculated…" with that said he promptly fell face first on the ground.

"You are humans aren't you," said DORUmon quietly as he walked towards the left most human.

It had spiky fur on its head and deep brown eyes. The human wasn't muscle bound but instead, relatively thin, though the beginnings of a musculature had began to form. He had a green shirt over his torso and maroon, rough looking, clothing over his legs.

"G-Get away," it stammered with a little fear in its voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," replied DORUmon with a soothing voice. A device was in the human's hand. It chirped and then glowed brightly. The soft golden light lifted from the device and floated over to DORUmon and surrounded the lavender fox.

The digimon gasped. They walked forward. Guilmon tilted his head and moved towards the taller yellow furred human. Agumon sniffed and walked towards the shorter yellow furred human. Renamon flicked her eyes over the human in a skirt. The three human's device glowed brightly and the one from the taller golden furred digimon fell over Guilmon. The glow from the device of the shorter golden furred digimon encircled Agumon and the glow of the human in the skirt filtered towards Renamon and covered the golden fox in a soft light.

"Oh no…" DemiDevimon grumbled as he stood up and looked at the human dressed in black. "Don't tell me…"

The human looked at his device. It glowed deep lavender before turning gold and drifted towards DemiDevimon.

"I-I don't understand…" whispered the smallest human.

"I don't understand either, first of all where are we?" growled the taller golden furred human.

The five digimon, except for DemiDevimon who was still grumbling about being partnered with the 'ill looking human' huddled together and started whispering amongst each other.

"They don't know?" hissed Renamon quietly.

"Evidently not," replied Agumon quietly.

"It's not that odd, I mean it's not like we sent a courier to them or anything," whispered DORUmon.

"Yeah I bet Lucemon didn't know he was destined to stop the wars until he appeared here," said Guilmon with a cheer.

The other digimon in the huddle winced, hissed and shot a glare at the red and black dragon. Renamon narrowed her eyes, "Did you have to mention _his_ name?"

"Oh…" Guilmon lifted a finger to his lips, "I guess I forgot…"

"How could you forget?" yelped Agumon in shock.

"I don't know, I try to see the best in everyone I guess," said Guilmon with an innocent smile.

Renamon's ear flicked up suddenly, followed by DORUmon's and Guilmon's ears. Agumon, who didn't have any ears, looked up in the direction of the ear flicking. Eight, whistling missiles were hurtling towards them.

"AYA!" shouted the four digimon as they charged the four humans they saw as their partners. The humans screamed in surprise as the four digimon tackled them.

"What is going on?" shouted DemiDevimon as he looked up to see a missile flying right at him. "Oh….OH FOUNDERS I'M GOING TO DIE!"

Suddenly something rammed into DemiDevimon and dropped him to the ground. There was a loud, muffled, boom and he and whatever grabbed him was sent bouncing and rolling into a nearby bush. The bat opened his eyes and looked up. The 'ill looking human' had him tucked against its chest.

"You ok?" said the human quietly as it unfurled himself on the ground. Smudges were on its cheeks and its arms looked slightly bruised.

"You…you…saved me…" said DemiDevimon quietly. He blinked trying to hide his surprise, "You're tougher than you look, Human."

The human sat up and brushed itself off, "I have a name…"

"Oh?" DemiDevimon looked at the human with interest.

"Yoshida Taku," Said the boy curtly. "For now you will call me Yoshida-san."

"Fine, Yoshida-san," replied the DemiDevimon with a snort. "My name is DemiDevimon, for now you will call me…DemiDevimon…"

Yoshida-san looked at DemiDevimon out of the corner of his eye, raised an eyebrow and then nodded.

888

Renamon and the others were scrambling to get off the humans.

"I'm so sorry…umm…umm…" Agumon started. He looked at the small human in front of him as it stood up.

"Samson Jiro," said the human with a smile.

"Samson?" the two dark haired humans looked at the small boy.

"Our father is from America, he's a military person," replied the taller, yellow haired human.

"So you're his brother," said Guilmon with a smile. The taller yellow haired boy nodded. "So you would be…Samson Jiro too?"

"No, my name is Samson Haru," replied the boy.

Renamon and DORUmon looked at the two remaining humans. "Are you brothers too?"

"Ah…" The human in the green shirt looked at the human in a skirt. "No…actually, she," he pointed the human in the skirt, "is a girl…I'm a boy, my name is Yamada Koshi."

"Girl?" DORUmon tilted his head slightly.

"Yes," said the 'girl'. "I'm Sasaki Ren."

"Boys?" Agumon and Guilmon looked at the two golden haired humans and they nodded.

"All of this is nice and well, but I think I hear Pteranomon returning," growled Renamon with apprehension. She took the girl human's hand and pulled her into the bushes, much to the yelped protest of the girl.

The three others followed Renamon's lead pulling their partners into the bushes.

"Don't you want to…" started the green shirted boy's voice before something muffled it.

A shadow zoomed over the clearing followed by the roar of engines. The whistles started again followed loud explosions.

"What could it be shooting at?" asked Guilmon's voice loudly.

"SHH!" hissed the others.

"Wait a tic…" whispered Agumon's voice. "One…two….three…four…uh oh…."

"DEMIDEVIMON!" shouted the other digimon loudly and exploded from the bush.

**888**


	3. The First Day Jitters

**I don't own digimon**

**The First Day Jitters**

**888**

"So, Yoshida-san," grumbled DemiDevimon, "where is everyone?"

"No idea, don't you know?" asked the human as he walked forward looking around. "I mean this is your home."

"Yeah, well, they did dive off into those bushes, probably rolled down a hill," said DemiDevimon as he pointed with one of his crimson claws. "so…" The bat turned. "Never mind, get into the tree!" screamed DemiDevimon.

"Who gave you the right to order me…?" started Taku loudly. He looked up into the sky as the sound of engines rumbled in the sky. "What is that…?"

"Pteranomon, he's an armor air digimon that uses his missiles to blast ground targets to ash, now get in that tree!" shouted DemiDevimon as he grabbed Taku's wrist and dragged the boy towards the hiding tree.

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OFF ME!" shouted Taku loudly as he pulled his hand from the clawed clutches of DemiDevimon.

"Sidewinder!" roared a voice as the metallic beast screeched overhead.

"No!" shouted DemiDevimon as he pushed Taku to the ground. Taku looked up as eight missiles came in. A dart materialized in the bat's talons. "Demi Dart!" The dart flashed forward and split into seven other darts that shot forward exploding seven of the missiles, but the last missile flew onward. It slammed DemiDevimon. The exploding projectile threw DemiDevimon to the earth. The round bat bounced three, hard times before striking a tree.

"Sidewinder!" screeched the metallic aerial beast firing another eight missiles.

"Demi…" The round bat collapsed against the tree that was behind it. Its eyes closed.

"Get up!" shouted Taku loudly as he scrambled forward, knowing he'd never make it; if he went by the loudness of the missile's whistle.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" shining streamers of light erupted from the canopy as they lanced through the octet of incoming missiles.

They eight projectiles exploded as a the golden fox from earlier flashed from the canopy, leapt across the clearing and disappeared up another tree only to explode from the foliage to slam a glowing fist into the side of the low-flying, metal pterosaur. The reptilian bird screeched in protest as it retreated into the sky.

"Pyro Sphere!" roared the voice of the red and black dragon as it stomped forward with its mouth open and belching forth red balls of heat towards the wheeling avian attacker.

"Pepper Breath!" the yellow dinosaur appeared next to the red dragon. Balls of fire shot from its mouth tracing the dragon's crimson sphere's contrails.

A purple blur flashed from the undergrowth whizzed past Taku and into the 'hiding tree' and then reappeared somewhere overhead. "Metal Cannon!" it vomited a huge ball bearing, which made high velocity contact with the body of the metal beast as it struggled to stay airborne.

Taku looked over the midnight blue bat. It wasn't moving. He ran over to it and looked at it in the eyes.

"Yo-Yoshida-Yoshida-san…" whispered the bat as it opened its golden eyes, which were glazed and unfocused. The irises shifted as if they were following something that was spinning around in front of it. "Are," it gulped quietly, "are you ok?"

"You idiot…" sniffed Taku with a growl, "Why didn't you run away?"

"Can't leave my partner in danger," replied the bat as it closed its eyes and its wings folded over its face.

888

"Guilmon!" shouted DORUmon as the purple, furred, raptor rushed the red and black dragon.

The dragon nodded interlocked its hands into a stirrup and then the fox-like raptor hopped into the hands of the dragon and Guilmon thrust the raptor upwards as it leapt with its strong back legs. The raptor rocketed upwards towards Pteranomon. The avian beast had made another low pass. DORUmon rolled as it shot past the right cheek of the metallic threat. It stopped above the reptilian bird and opened his mouth releasing three large ball bearings that crashed on the pteranosaur's head, back and wings. It screeched loudly as it wobbled and hit tree branches.

Renamon was weaving between tree branches rushing up behind the beast, as DORUmon started to dive downwards Renamon launched upwards. Her paws glowed brightly.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" the glowing spears of leaves shot down exploding into the metal beast's back. Pteranomon roared as it was forced further into the canopy.

"Pyro Sphere!" snarled Guilmon.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon. The two flaming attacks converged and flared into a large ball of fight.

"Metal Cannon!" shouted DORUmon as he fired a ball bearing into the fire ball. The metallic body glowed bright orange.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" white arrows of light rammed in behind the fire ball and it burst forward in a magnificent gold.

Pteranomon swerved around to fire its missiles only to catch the ensemble attack slam straight through its chassis melting its metallic armor. The projectile ripped through the back of the dinosaur and exploded into the sky. The other humans were just arriving as Pteranomon crashed to the ground and exploded into thousands of black particles of dust.

"What…" the boy named Kisho started.

"Happened?" the 'girl' named Ren finished.

"We destroyed a minion of the Armored command," replied Renamon calmly. The fox dropped down from the tree it had been in and landed next to the girl. The fox swished its tail.

"De-destroyed?" Jiro gulped quietly. "Like…as in…it's…dead?"

"You killed it?" Haru asked with an accusative voice.

"There was no choice, Haru-san," whimpered Guilmon as he stepped forward.

Renamon, DORUmon and Agumon nodded. Agumon took a step towards Jiro. "Jiro-san you have to understand, if we hadn't have destroyed Pteranomon, he would've called others and they would not have hesitated in destroying us…"

"Or worse," interjected DORUmon. "We're in a war for our survival, Armor command believes that only Armor level digimon are worthy of existence, all other digimon are inferior…"

"DemiDevimon…" The boy in dark clothing was hovering over a very badly beaten, round, bat. Renamon and the other digimon were soon huddling over their fallen comrade. The boy looked at them, "Is he…?"

"No, he's too stubborn to die," replied Renamon quietly. The fox narrowed its eyes, "though I suspect that," The ears on the fox twitched, "'he' is hurt, we should get him some medical assistance." The fox moved to lift the bat but boy pushed her to one side.

"I will carry him," explained the boy gruffly as he lifted the injured bat. He cradled it and then walked forward.

He pressed past the digimon and stood in the middle of the clearing.

"Are you…Yoshida Taku?" asked Haru quietly. The boy in black looked up shocked. "You're in my English class, you sit in the corner, and Ms. Takahashi was always on you for wearing 'unacceptable' clothes." Haru's eyes fell on the spiked wrist bands.

"Well, Ms. Takahashi isn't here now is she, and why does it matter to you?" growled the boy loudly as he glared at Haru.

"I'm just trying to get to know people," whispered Haru. He looked down. "I mean we all have questions…like," Haru looked up at the digimon, "who or what are you guys, where are we, how did we get here, and how do we get back?"

Guilmon smiled; the dragon looked at the others, "We're digimon, and you're in the Digital World, umm, I don't know about how you got here or how you get back…"

"Digimon?" Haru looked at the others.

"Digital Monsters," clarified Renamon, "at least that is what your nomenclature would call us." Renamon looked at DemiDevimon, "We must go to get some medical assistance."

"Primary Village?" asked Agumon quietly.

The fox shook its head. "The Armored Command has it under their control…"

"Then where?" asked DORUmon frantically.

"Sorcerymon," replied Renamon as the fox walked forward. "It's this way."

"Why should we follow you?" asked Kisho loudly.

The fox stopped and turned. "You are welcome to stay here, though I believe that the Pteranomon will more than likely be coming to find their missing comrade. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Kisho looked up in surprise by the bluntness the fox's speech and then fell in with the rest of the group as they followed Renamon into the forest.

888

They had walked for a while. The trees surrounded them. Renamon led quietly stopping every once in a while to swivel her ears around and take in a breath of air through her nose; she then would continue forward.

"So…" started the girl human quietly. "Why is it that the…umm…umm?"

"Pteranomon?" suggested Renamon quietly flicking her blue eyes at the girl.

"Yeah, the Pteranomon, why was he so much stronger than you guys?" asked the girl quietly.

"Sasaki-san…" started the fox quietly.

"It's ok to call me Ren," said the girl with a smile.

"Right, Ren," said Renamon with a bit of hesitation.

"Digimon come in three attributes," explained Agumon quietly. "Virus, Vaccine, and Data, but they can also be divided up by level."

"In Training, Rookie, Champion, Armor and Ultimate," said Guilmon as he smiled at the boy named Haru.

"So these Armor digimon…?" Kisho was walking next to DORUmon.

"Well, In Training and Rookie are the weakest, with Rookies being more powerful than In Training, then comes Champion and Armor, but they are almost equal in brawn, though Armored digimon tend to have slightly higher endurance, and more agile moves," DORUmon started to lecture, "Then there come Ultimates, and well, not much more can beat an Ultimate…"

"Kind of like going from a larva to a full grown wasp," whispered Taku quietly. He looked down at DemiDevimon.

"Interesting analogy," said Haru quietly. Taku flicked his eyes coldly at Haru, the blonde smiled slightly, but it faded quickly, "So, then why is it that Renamon seems kind of stronger than…well…the rest of you?"

"Renamon's the oldest," said Agumon with a giggle.

"Oh she is, is she?" Ren said looking at the bipedal fox.

Renamon flashed her blue eyes back at the little yellow dinosaur with force. "I may be eldest, but that does not mean anything, I am just more diligent with my exercises." The fox flicked her tail with irritation and then looked down slightly at the human girl. The girl smiled softly.

"I never expected to be a friend to such a powerful digimon," Ren said with a sweet, innocent tone. The fox blushed slightly, fortunately her fur hid it. She sighed and looked around again. The girl at her side suddenly touched the fox's shoulder, much to the surprise of the kitsune. "Umm, how long till we get to this sorcerer's place?"

"Sorcerymon's house is still a day's travel at this current pace," said Renamon calmly, "I could travel faster alone…"

"Well, I'm sorry we aren't some fox monster thing," growled Taku loudly.

"I had anticipated the ones that were to save our world to be a bit more…" Renamon stopped and turned to look at the thin children, "physically promising."

"Oh…" said the humans quietly.

"Well, the prophecies only said that they could channel the Founders' power," DORUmon quietly noted, "never said how…nor did it say how they would save this world, we should just accept this as is."

Renamon looked at DORUmon, nodded and turned to continue, "Let's go, the longer we sit here and argue; the longer DemiDevimon goes without medical attention." She took a step forward and stopped dead in her tracks.

"I thought you said we had to keep…" started Ren. Renamon was looking straight forward with a cold glare. Ren's eyes turned and she saw it standing in front of them, a large flaming boar. It snorted loudly.

"Boarmon," whispered Agumon quietly, "The fiery hog with a fierce amount of courage, he isn't afraid of anything…"

"Look at the tusks on that thing," whispered Haru quietly.

"What are you beasts doing?" growled the hog loudly. It stomped its hoofed foot on the ground. "Do you know that this area is under lockdown until Lord Baronmon says otherwise?"

"We may know, but it's a matter of caring," replied Renamon as she lifted her paws.

"Renamooon," Ren whispered through her closed lips. "Do you think this is wise?"

"We can take him…" replied Renamon. "He's not overly powerful…he's just a pig…"

"WHAT?" roared the hog loudly. The boar snorted loudly and stomped his foot. "I am not a pig; I am a boar, a very integral part of Lord Baronmon's forces, you will not insult me!"

"Well, feel free to tell your lord to stuff it!" shouted Agumon loudly. The others looked at him. The yellow dinosaur blinked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I see, you are rebels, then I shall crush you like rebels!" roared the boar as he stamped his foot down and charged. "Bullet Attack!" the flames rolled over the surface of the boar. Renamon growled pushing Ren out of the way as the hog plowed forward tossing the fox with its tusks.

"RENAMON!" shouted Ren loudly.

The hog swerved around skidding into the dirt and charged towards Ren. It was snorting loudly.

"Ren!" shouted Kisho loudly. He ran forward tackling Ren and the two of them rolled from the raging hog as it crashed through a tree. The hog snarled loudly and turned on them.

"Prepare to die beasts," growled Boarmon. The pig flared his nostrils.

"Kisho!" yelped the purpled fox raptor loudly. The creature scurried forward sliding in front of the two humans.

"DORUmon, don't do it," Kisho yelped, "He'll run you down like a tortoise on a freeway."

"You're not getting through me, porky," growled DORUmon as he stared down the hog.

"You'll pay dearly for saying that, scum," growled Boarmon. His nostrils flared brightly as they glowed with hellfire. "Snout Blaster!" a torrent of magma and fire shot forward. The force of the blast knocked Kisho and Ren on their backs. Kisho scrambled to his knees. DORUmon was laid out in front of the two.

"DORUMON!" Kisho grabbed the purple digimon.

"I'm not that badly hurt…" whispered DORUmon. Kisho looked up at Boarmon.

"You're next!" growled Boarmon.

"Pyro Sphere!" Guilmon barked. The red sphere flashed into Boarmon, but no apparent damage was done.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon but the flames only fed the fire that already flowed over Boarmon.

The hog stomped its foot angrily and then charged. Kisho scrambled in front of DORUmon shielding the digimon. "Don't do it Kisho!"

"You took a hit for me, I'm not going to let you die because of me!" cried Kisho loudly. The little device screeched loudly. A glow washed forward from the device.

"_What's this strength? I think…I'm…"_ DORUmon glowed brightly. "DORUmon digivolve to DORUgamon!" DORUmon grew larger in proportion, but looked basically the same, drew Kisho into his stronger arms and opened his, no longer vestigial wings. His tail was no longer puffy but much more lizard-like and he swept it around slamming Boarmon right in the snout. The pig reeled backwards from the attack. DORUgamon put Kisho down and then walked in front of him. "Leave everything to me."

"Snout Blaster!" roared the hog loudly firing a blast of magma and flames forward. DORUgamon flared his wings and flapped them hard, sending the wave of heat flying back at the boar.

"Not so tough when you aren't plowing through Rookies and humans; are you?" growled DORUgamon.

"Bullet Attack!" was Boarmon's response as he charged in a fiery streak. DORUgamon grabbed the hog by the tusks and lifted it and swung the hog around tossing him into a tree.

"Renamon!" Ren screamed. The fox was staggering from the bushes. The hog saw this and charged for the fox.

DORUgamon swept in front of Boarmon and opened his mouth. "Power Metal!" the innards of DORUgamon's mouth glowed bright gold and exploded forward with a glowing metal ball that exploded into Boarmon. The hog disappeared into dust and DORUgamon glowed brightly before reverting to DORUmon. Renamon fell on top of DORUmon.

"RENAMON!" yelped Ren as she ran forward. The others were right behind her. Ren held the fox up against her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, that pig just took me by surprise." Renamon grumbled. She held her side.

"Is…that blood?" Ren accused the red spot on Renamon's golden coat.

"It will heal," growled Renamon loudly as she stood. "I have faired much worse." The fox winced and dropped to her knee.

"You aren't going anywhere," ordered Ren loudly, "at least, not without resting first!"

"I'm fine!" shouted Renamon loudly.

"You aren't," grumbled DORUmon as he shifted out from under the fox. "I know when you put up a front, and you are putting one up now, now lay down and rest!"

Renamon growled at the raptor but the purple digimon wouldn't be deterred. Renamon dropped against a tree. She looked up at DemiDevimon. He was still unconscious, she growled softly under her breath, "My fault, my fault…I shouldn't have gotten on that pig's case…"

"Don't worry," Ren stroked Renamon's fur softly, "we'll get to the sorcerer's house…"

"Sorcerymon," corrected Renamon. "Sorcerymon's house."

"I'll gather some roots for DemiDevimon," said Agumon quietly, "That should at least keep him ok while we rest."

888

"DORUmon, that was awesome, how'd you do it?" asked Kisho loudly.

"I don't know…" replied the purple furred, raptor. He flicked his furry tail back and forth, "It just happened…"

"Your thing," whispered Taku quietly. "It glowed, whatever it was, your device glowed brightly and then he, did his thing…"

"The device caused the digivolution?" asked Agumon quietly.

"It seems so," replied DORUmon.

"What's digivolution?" asked Jiro innocently.

"Well, it's when a digimon goes from one level to another, like from Rookie to Champion," explained DORUmon.

"Why didn't you do it before, against Pteranomon?" asked Haru.

"Digivolution is really, really hard to do," replied Guilmon quickly, "Digimon usually either have to train really, really hard, drain other digimons' energies or fight a lot to digivolve properly…"

"Yes," grunted Renamon quietly as she repositioned herself against her tree, "I have never seen such a short term digivolution be so powerful, I wonder if it is the device…"

"Maybe that's what the humans are here for, to provide energy for us to digivolve," suggested DORUmon. He looked up at Kisho, "You're kind of like a really big digivolution battery."

The spiky haired, brown eyed boy looked at the purple fox-raptor, "I don't know how to take that…" Kisho looked down at the device. "Well whatever happened is gone now, because this thing is dead."

"Just more questions get asked…" whispered Haru quietly.

Renamon stood quietly. "I am ready to go…"

"We can't…" replied DORUmon. "It's too close to night, if we start now, we'll get lost and separated, I think it's best we stay here for the night, at least, until morning."

"DemiDevimon's condition!" Renamon retorted as she lifted herself to her feet, but a sharp twinge flared from her side and the fox staggered backward. Renamon narrowed her eyes and tried to rise again, but relented after the wound flared a couple more times. She winced and held her side, "It may be wise to wait till morning…"

"We'll get fruits and roots!" cheered Agumon and Guilmon. The two disappeared into the forest

Taku looked at DemiDevimon, "We can't just leave him like this…"

"DemiDevimon is nothing but resilient, I think he is not as badly hurt as we believe, otherwise his condition would be getting worse, but he has no fever nor any other signs of distress other than his unconsciousness," replied DORUmon quietly. The purpled digimon walked closer to Taku. "Do not worry, we just have to keep watch over him; we won't let him die."

The pale human nodded slowly. "I guess you guys are the experts…"

The shadows fell over the forest. A small fire glowed as the night fell. It would be their first night in the Digital World.


	4. The Blue Bird of Unhappiness

**I don't own digimon**

**The Blue Bird of Unhappiness**

**888**

Renamon's eyes snapped open as a weight rested on her stomach and nuzzled in close. The fox looked down to see the human girl was nuzzling against her fur. Renamon sighed quietly and laid a hand on the child's head gently ruffling her brown hair.

It was morning; the dew was still on the grass. The others were still sleeping. Renamon snorted quietly, "If we were to be attacked…"

DORUmon's head lifted off of the lap of the boy that named himself Kisho. "We would wake up and fight back…" said the purple furred digimon as he slowly swept his tail back and forth. "Should we wake the others?"

Renamon shifted quietly, releasing herself from Ren, and stood slowly. The first thing she did was inspect the wound from the evening before. It was as she had thought, and had healed during the night, and was now only a twinge of pain when she twisted to the left.

"Wake them, I wish to go wash," whispered Renamon as she disappeared into the thin air. DORUmon sighed and then quickly made his rounds gently prodding the digimon and their partners into wakefulness.

888

Renamon sat on a large rock in the middle of the stream she had been bathing in. Her fur was still wet and it glistened as the sun filtered through the canopy. Her blue eyes kept narrowing and she would growl softly to herself every few seconds.

"They can't be the Prophesied Ones, can they?" asked the fox to the stream quietly. "They are so feeble and weak; I mean, even Agumon could fare better in a fight than they could collectively…"

She shifted quietly and growled when her body moved to the left and the shadow of the wound flared in response. A wound she had gotten protecting the 'Prophesied Ones'. She nearly resented it, but then the image of the smiling face of Ren filled her mind and she was forced to suppress another blush.

"I don't understand," whispered Renamon quietly. She looked up, through the clearing in the canopy, cut out by the stream she was occupying. The fog was holding on to the caldera of Mihirashi Mountain, the place they were going. "On top of Mount Mihirashi is a great lake, and on that lake is an isle, and that is where the great Sorcerymon secludes himself."

She looked up and took in a deep breath. The smell of roots being cooked had filtered through the forest. The others must be awake and already prepared for breakfast. Renamon stood and leapt, easily jumping from her position on the rock and over the current of the small river that had surrounded her to the shore. She landed lightly on the ground, bending her golden legs and propelled forward disappearing into the thin air.

888

"Renamon!" cheered Ren as the fox reappeared at the campsite. The girl leapt up and ran to the vulpine creature and hugged it. Renamon looked down at the girl in surprise but quickly regained her cool composure. Her tail flicked and she drew away from the girl's embrace. Ren looked up with sad eyes, "Did I disappoint you Renamon?"

The fox tilted its head, and thought about the question, "It is not disappointment, more of…a surprise."

"I think Renamon is mad because Agumon ate that extra tuber," said Guilmon quietly.

"I didn't eat it!" yelped Agumon loudly. "You did!"

Renamon's eyes flashed from the yellow dinosaur to the red and black dragon and then back. "I am not hungry anyways." She turned to the other humans, "When you are done here, and have washed up in the stream we will depart," She pointed to a mountain in the distance, "That is our destination. I hope to reach the summit by late afternoon, and hopefully Sorcerymon's home by night fall." She looked at DemiDevimon. "I see he has still not awakened."

"Is he ok?" asked Taku quietly. He looked down at the small winged ball of dark blue fur.

"It is difficult to say," replied Renamon quietly. "I am sure of this, though, DemiDevimon is very resilient, if anyone can survive this; he can."

Taku looked stared at the golden fox. He looked down at DemiDevimon quietly and sighed. "I just wish it had been me instead."

The others looked at Taku quietly, but Renamon coughed and flicked her tail. They looked up in surprise, "Go, I will watch over DemiDevimon…"

"But…but I'm a girl!" yelped Ren. "I can't bathe with the boys!"

"Uh…" The digimon looked at each other, "Why not?"

"Because…I AM A GIRL!" yelped Ren loudly.

The boys nodded. Haru stepped forward, "In our society it is improper for girls and boys to bathe together."

"Why?" asked Guilmon. He lifted a clawed finger to the side of his head and scratched softly.

The children looked at each other and then blushed, "Umm…we don't know."

"Interesting," murmured Renamon quietly. She flicked her tail and then walked over to Ren. "Don't worry, Ren, Taku can take DemiDevimon with him and the other 'boys' to the stream, then I can go with you to a different stretch of the stream so you may wash."

The children nodded slowly and then separated into two groups, the boys and the girl. Renamon and Ren walked to the right and up the stream while the boys and Agumon, Guilmon and DORUmon walked to the left and down the stream. Ren was quiet most of the way to the river and Renamon, though curious did not speak.

The girl quickly undressed and walked to the water and instantly stopped. "It's too cold."

"It is still morning, and with Meramon on the run the water will be cold," replied Renamon quietly. She was sitting in a branch of a tree overlooking the stream. "It is something that you get used to."

Ren looked up at the fox and slowly walked into the water. Her muscles recoiled at the numbing chill the water had but slowly she willed her self in.

"Renamon, how did you get so tough?" asked Ren quietly as she attempted to clean herself as best as she could with just cold water.

"Fighting," the reply came quickly. "Learning that nothing in this world will protect you forever, and being ready to accept your deletion at a moment's notice."

Ren walked from the water; she was shivering profusely and was quick to find something to help her dry off. Renamon hopped down as Ren was replacing her clothes back on her body. The girl looked up at her vulpine partner with dark, brown eyes. The fox winced slightly at the gaze and turned her head, "Renamon, are you mad at me?"

The fox responded by walking back towards camp, "Come along, we wish not for the others to think we are in danger."

Ren looked up and nodded slowly.

888

"Ah, finally we have found it," murmured a deep voice. His blue face crinkled into a toothy smile.

He turned slowly to a flower faced priestess and apish shaman. A golden wide, sleeved shirt hung off of the botanical priestess. Pink blossoms made up its face and hands. Red fabric ballooned around the priestess's legs as large pants. The priestess's camel toed feet fit snugly into two, brown sandals.

"Lord Baronmon," whispered the flower digimon. "What shall we do with it?"

"Yes, lord Baronmon," asked the shaman. His hand lifted to scratch the top edge of his blue and red, oval face mask. "What shall we do with it?"

Baronmon smirked happily and then reached towards the object that had gained his glee. It was a strange looking object. It was a deep, mist blue, sphere that was held on a black pedestal of sorts. The ball rested into the pedestal, the pedestal looked like cooled, black lava that had attempted to consume the sphere but failed to. There was a sharp snap of energy that forced Baronmon to stagger back.

"So, the barrier continues to be a problem," growled Baronmon loudly. He turned, making his green robes ruffling and his red cloak flare, to his two allies, "I will have to meditate on this; do not disturb me." The red cape flailed behind the shaman as he walked past; his boots elicited soft clomps on the brick work as he walked to a pair of heavy doors.

"So now what?" the flower digimon asked quietly.

"I suspect we return to get reports from the others, Kabukimon," replied the ape shaman as he started off, dragging his boomerang behind him.

"We should assist Baronmon in finding a way to weaken the barrier, Sepikmon," said the flower digimon as she followed the shaman.

"You do what you wish," snorted Sepikmon quietly as he left the room, "I wish to hear from my men."

888

"Guilmon you nitwit!" yelped the voice of Taku, as the large red dragon sent them tumbling into a small, water-filled ditch. The pale skinned boy scowled slightly and looked at Guilmon. Taku held DemiDevimon close to his chest trying to wipe the water off of the little bat digimon.

"Hey, there was no reason to call Guilmon a nitwit!" shouted Haru. The older, blonde haired boy stood up in the ankle deep slush of leaves and water and helped Guilmon to his feet. "It wasn't his fault that the ground was soft."

Renamon and Ren were kneeling on the edge of the ditch with Kisho and DORUmon. Taku, Jiro, Haru and their digimon had all slid in, after Renamon had told them to stay clear of the ditch edge. Guilmon, though, let his curiosity get the best of him, and soon enough he slipped and grabbed onto Haru, who grabbed Jiro, who grabbed Agumon and then Agumon had snagged his claws around Taku, and the whole lot of them found themselves in the ditch.

"Well he is, an idiot," retorted Taku loudly. "He's so naïve!" The pale boy snapped loudly and then stomped out of the water. "If he'd have a brain he'd be, well, he'd still be an idiot."

"Hey!" shouted Haru loudly. The boy scrambled up the ditch.

"Big idiots, the two of you," said Taku as he walked away from the ditch.

"Haru no…" whined Guilmon as Haru rushed Taku and made to strike the dark clothed boy, but Taku side stepped and Haru fell to the ground and rolled.

Taku narrowed his eyes, "I guess you and Guilmon deserve each other." He handed DemiDevimon to Ren as Haru stood up and lifted his fists. Taku took up a defensive stance, "Fine if you want to try again, go ahead."

Haru charged towards Taku. Haru threw his fist forward. Taku stepped to one side, and landed the edge of his right hand onto the flat of Haru's back. The blonde was sent sprawling. Haru scrambled to his feet again. The other children were spellbound to the fight.

"You're going to apologize to Guilmon," growled Haru loudly, "even if I have to beat it out of you."

The dark haired boy only shook his head and smirked. Haru growled angrily and ran again. He swept a hard punch forward, but Taku caught it; the next thing Haru knew was that he was being flung over Taku and down onto the ground.

"Haru!" yelped Guilmon loudly as he trudged up the ditch and ran to the blonde. "Please don't fight anymore!"

"He's not going to make fun of you, without paying for it!" replied Haru angrily.

"It's ok, Haru, really, it was my fault, I shouldn't have…" started Guilmon as Haru sat up. The red and black dragon's eyes shined a soft gold. "I know I'm not the smartest digimon there is; it's ok, really…"

"No, it's not, you don't have to except it, and I refuse to let you take it!" growled Haru as he stood. His fists were clenched. He looked at a very smug Taku and then without warning pounced. Taku didn't have a chance to move before he was pinned to the ground. Haru didn't let up. He kept slamming fists down Taku did his best to defend himself with his hands mostly immobile.

"Stop this now!" shouted Renamon. Seconds later Haru was sent sprawling to the ground as the fox loomed over Taku.

"Thank you…" coughed Taku quietly.

"Shut up," growled Renamon as she flashed her icy eyes on the pale human. "You deserve every punch Haru gave you, but we have more important things to do…" Taku blinked up at the vixen as she flashed around to face him. Her face came straight to his face, her nose touched his; it was cold and wet. "Now, apologize to Guilmon."

Taku was about to refuse but the fox's eyes flashed a dangerous color. Taku gulped loudly and slowly tilted his head to see the mud covered, red and black dragon, "Gui-Guilmon…I'm sorry for saying those things to you…"

"Aw shucks, like I said it wasn't a problem, really," replied Guilmon with a smile.

"Uh…a little help?" called Jiro from the ditch. Guilmon looked up and walked over to the edge of the ditch and lowered his tail down to lift the boy and his partner up from the bog.

"Right, now let's go," growled Renamon as she walked past the two roughed up boys.

"But…" Haru started. Renamon flashed a look back at Haru that stopped his vocal chords dead in their tracks.

The boy sighed and got up and slowly lurched forward. Taku stood also and slowly walked to Ren and gently reclaimed DemiDevimon. He shot a glare at Haru. Renamon snorted in agitation and flicked her tail and walked further down the trail. The others walked slowly after Renamon.

They walked most of the morning. The trail was relatively cleared and though it got muddy at times; it was not nearly as horrible as the thick vegetation that surrounded the path, but that was to change, abruptly. The vegetation instantly disappeared and was replaced by a long stretch of desert. Renamon didn't stop though, she continued forward. The humans looked around them, tan sand swept around them in a small dust storm; but they stayed on the road.

The noon hour came and went. The desert warmed and the air shifted uneasily in sun's onslaught. The afternoon was near brutal as the dry air swept around them teasing out the water from the humans' skin.

Renamon stopped suddenly. She narrowed her eyes, "There is a watch post up ahead…" She looked around her. "We have to hide you, if the…"

"And what will you do?" asked DORUmon. "We cannot leave them here."

Guilmon walked up to them and pointed to a few ferns that were on the side of the road. "We could hide them without hiding them…"

"What are you talking about?" Agumon asked quietly. Guilmon only smiled quietly and then pulled a leaf from the fern.

888

Impmon looked up in agitation as a group of digimon walked forward. The lavender and white digimon hopped up from his seat. He leapt from his shed and put his hand out.

"Yo, what are yous doing here!" shouted Impmon loudly.

"Transporting prisoners," said Guilmon loudly.

Impmon narrowed his eyes. He pointed his red gloved finger at the five strange creatures behind them. They were dressed in weird clothes and seemed to have weird floppy, frilled ears and wings.

"And who are they?" asked the little imp as he stomped forward. DORUmon and Agumon swept up in front of them.

"You don't want to get too close," said Agumon loudly.

"Yeah, look at what they did to part of our party!" yelped DORUmon as he pointed to DemiDevimon, who was being held by Renamon.

"I see…" said the imp as he made side long looks at the odd beings behind the digimon.

"Impmon, we must get going, these derailments of our schedule greatly threaten Lord Baronmon's sovereignty," Renamon said coolly. "We must go, let us pass."

"Uh…" Impmon looked up at the creature in dark clothing it sneered angrily and Impmon jumped back. "Get going already, jeesh!"

Renamon nodded and continued forward with the others. Together the strangers disappeared into the forest. Impmon sighed softly and went back into his hut and sat down to watch the trail.

About two hours later Impmon's eyes flashed wider than dishes, "Hey, the prison is in the other direction!" He quickly hopped from his seat and ran to a small transmitter. "This is Mihirashi base three, to Infinity Mountain!" A small screen flickered to life. A large oval face mask filled the screen.

"What is it?" growled the voice of the image.

"I ah, was just hijacked," yelped Impmon loudly. "Yeah, that's it, I was hijacked and a group of rebels made it past me on the route to Mihirashi Mountain! They had an injured digimon amongst their company, as well as five strange creatures…"

The voice on the other side of the transmission gasped, "Strange creatures…" It narrowed its eyes. "It must be them…" the mask shifted slightly. "If they had an injured one amongst them then they must be going to Sorcerymon's abode on the summit of Mihirashi. You will intercept them!"

"M-me?" gulped Impmon loudly. "But it would be five on one, and those creatures didn't look so friendly."

"Do not fret, you have the power of the digimentals on your side…" chuckled the voice. He lifted a boomerang to the screen. "Charming Dance!"

888

Ren looked down from the edge of the trail. The forest was far below them.

"Come on, this is a very weak defensive position," said Renamon quietly and pulled the girl from the edge. "It isn't far now."

Ren nodded and joined the others. They slowly walked up the trail. The rocks now littered the path but it remained fairly navigable. The stones were soft and yellow.

"Uh…Renamon…" Guilmon said quietly. The fox stopped and looked back at the red and black dragon.

"Yes, Guilmon?" The fox swished her tail impatiently.

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked the dragon as he pointed down to the forest at the foot of the mountain.

Renamon looked down and saw a flash of gold and blue light erupt from the trees. A huge form emerged from under the foliage. A large lightning shaped horn was attached to a large blue bird. Golden lightning insignias flashed along its wings and lightning bolt shaped tail. It released a feral screech and flapped its wings and bolts of lightning exploded along the ground.

"Run!" shouted Renamon as the bird swept around and flew towards them. Together the humans ran up the trail. Taku held DemiDevimon tightly as he ran next to Haru. Renamon looked back as Jiro and Agumon past her. "It's Thunderbirdmon!"

"Get out of my way!" sniped Taku loudly as he pushed past.

"Hey don't push!" shouted Haru loudly.

"Spark Wing!" the bird shot above them and then flashed its wings open. Meteors of lightning shot down exploding into the side of the mountain.

"AYA!" shouted Kisho and Ren as the ground under them started to fail. Jiro was ahead of them and beyond the fissure with Agumon.

Renamon and DORUmon swept forward grabbing their partners and sailing across the ravine forming under them. Taku and Haru looked up in vain as the road in front of them collapsed down the side of the mountain. Thunderbirdmon swept and chuckled.

"Yous thought you could escape me, well for playing that nasty trick on me I'm going to play a nastier trick on you!" The thunder bolt designs on the bird's body glowed brightly and the light drained into the bird's snout and up the jagged horn at the tip of its armored face. "THUNDER STORMER!"

A single blast of lightning raged forward exploding into the side of the mountain. The digimon and humans screamed as the rocks exploded and electrical streamers slashed their way across their bodies. The dust cleared slowly to reveal the totality of the travelers to be crawling slowly over the ground.

"We got to get away," whispered Renamon as she pulled Ren behind her. DORUmon was right behind her towing Kisho and Agumon and Jiro were staggering with each other up the mountainside.

Down the mountain trail, Taku and Haru weren't as badly hit, but they were still breathing hard. Taku got up slowly and started staggering down the trail.

"Where are you going?" shouted Haru loudly as he watched Taku retreat.

"Somewhere safe, we can't fight that thing!" shouted Taku loudly.

"We aren't leaving our friends behind to get beat to a pulp by a big, blue turkey!" shouted Haru. He turned to look up at Thunderbirdmon and then cast his eyes to Guilmon, "Do you think you can get him buddy?"

"I don't know, he's a pretty strong digimon," whispered the dragon. Haru looked down but the dragon's winged ears perked up, "but it's worth a shot!"

Haru smiled and nodded, "If we can just get his attention…"

"I'll get his attention!" called Guilmon. The dragon opened his mouth and belched a red ball of heat at the bird. Thunderbirdmon squawked loudly as the fire ball smacked him right under the wing. The blue bird wheeled around and screamed bloody murder.

"Uh…I think we have his attention…" gulped Haru as he turned. "Let's get out of here!"

"Uh…" Guilmon looked up as the bird screeched loudly and dove at him. The dragon could see down the bird's throat, "Right!"

"Thunder Stormer!" screamed the bird loudly. Streamers of lightning slashed down the trail right behind the running boy and digimon.

"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO MAKE HIM THAT MAD?" screamed Haru as he pumped his arms back and forth and ran in front of the wave of electricity.

"I DIDN'T THINK I HAD IT IN ME!" replied Guilmon as the red and black dragon scrambled behind his partner.

They rounded a corner and a hand snapped out and pulled them to one side. Before Haru knew it the river of lightning that was chasing them passed and they were in a cave.

"You really pissed him off," said Taku's voice quietly. The boy stepped from the shadows. He was still holding DemiDevimon.

Haru was breathing hard and was leaning against the cavern wall. Haru looked up at Taku, "Didn't…" he took a breath, "see," another heave puffed his chest up, "you do anything…"

"Hello…" Taku's eyes looked down to DemiDevimon. "I can't do anything, not that I'm doing the doing, it's Guilmon that put his head out to be sheered off…"

Haru looked at Taku and started to retort when he realized that the dark clad was right. He gulped and looked at Guilmon. "I'm…sorry…"

"Don't worry, we're friends, we have to work together, I was just helping you this time, next time you'll help me," The dragon said with a smile.

"We're ok, for now…" said Taku as he looked to the exit of the cave. A shadow swept past it.

"But the others…" whispered Haru.

"Thunderbirdmon will rip them to shreds!" yelped Guilmon.

"We have to go!" shouted Haru as he pushed towards the exit.

"And what?" shouted Taku. "Get blown away?"

"If it takes that," replied Haru quietly. "Guilmon, you don't have to go if you don't want to…"

"You don't even have to say that, I'm at your side!" called Guilmon. The digimon walked to Haru's side.

"Let's go, cook us a turkey," said Haru quietly. He looked back to Taku, "Are you coming?"

The boy sneered slightly and then walked forward, "Someone's gotta save your life when you get your asses handed to you."

888

"Ok, when he comes around the ridge we get him by surprise, got it?" Renamon was poised in the branches of a tree that grew out of the side of the mountain. "You humans, keep going, if you get to Sorcerymon's then maybe you can get us some help."

Ren, Kisho and Jiro looked at Renamon and nodded sadly and then started retreating up the path. Thunderbirdmon's screeches erupted from the side of the mountain and seconds later the blue bird appeared screeching and roaring in a fit.

"Now!" shouted Renamon as she leapt forward. She sliced her hands forward shooting glowing leaves into the side of the bird.

"Alley Oop!" Yelped Agumon as he cupped his hand and gave DORUmon a boost.

The purpled raptor rolled through the air and then hovering slightly opened his mouth. "Metal Cannon!"

A ball bearing shot forward, propelling DORUmon back to mountainside. The bird swept past it and turned on the attacking digimon. Seconds later Thunderbirdmon was aware of something hovering over him. He turned to see Renamon's foot slamming into the side of his face. The vulpine digimon repelled backward, spun around and fired another round of leaves into the bird. The leaves exploded into the bird. Thunderbirdmon screeched in anger and slapped its tail against Renamon, sending the fox slamming into the mountainside.

"Can't you digivolve?" yelped Agumon loudly to DORUmon. He opened his mouth and sent volleys of fireballs at bird as it swept past.

"I've been trying!" yelped DORUmon as he evaded bursts of lightning.

"He's too strong," rasped Renamon as she peeled herself from the mountain. She dropped down next to Agumon. "We have to retreat…"

"And lead him to our partners?" asked Agumon.

"No, we go down," Renamon winced as she leapt down the trail. "Come on, you big sparrow! Power Punch!" Renamon leapt from the edge of the trail and slammed her glowing paw into the side of the bird and then kicked off of it to get back to the edge of the mountain. "Run, now!" shouted Renamon as she, DORUmon and Agumon ran down the trail.

"Get back here!" shouted the bird as it recovered from Renamon's strike and dove after them.

Thunderbirdmon swept around the edge of the mountain and chuckled as the digimon came to the ravine he made earlier.

"No…" gasped Agumon.

"You're all gone now!" shouted Thunderbirdmon. "Thunder…"

"Pyro Sphere!" a flash of red slammed Thunderbirdmon in the face and the bolt of lightning the bird was going to fire shot into the sky.

The bird looked down. A Guilmon and a pair of those strange creatures were advancing towards him. One of the creatures was holding the injured DemiDevimon from before.

"You'll pay for that!" shouted Thunderbirdmon loudly. The blue and gold bird folded his wings. "Spark Wing!" Hundreds of lines of lightning flashed down towards Guilmon.

"GUILMON NO!" shouted Haru as he ran forward. The blonde boy grabbed the dragon and pulled him back. The bolts fell slamming the two of them off the cliff face.

"No…" gasped Renamon, Agumon, and DORUmon.

Taku came scrambling to the edge of the cliff and looked down. "He can't be…gone?"

The clouds below them glowed brightly. "Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!" Something shot upwards. It had yellow skin, and definite dinosaur design. It hovered to the trail and let Haru off. The boy looked up in shock. The yellow dinosaur was covered in metal. Its torso was a metallic chassis. Its arms were metallic, as were four wings that jutted out of its chassis. Rockets the digimon's back held it in the air.

"Guilmon…?" Haru looked at the digimon carefully.

"Don't worry, Haru, I won't let you fall," replied the digimon. He looked up at Thunderbirdmon. "You hurt our friends enough, today!"

"I'm going to crush your little metal body," growled Thunderbirdmon. The bird's wings glowed and the energy drained into his horn. "THUNDER STORMER!"

A massive bolt of lightning shot forward. It whipped and snapped jaggedly through the air as it made its way to Raptordramon. The large yellow raptor opened its mouth wide and roared loudly.

"Crash Charge!" A plume of energy shot forward from the mouth of the raptor. The lightning and then energy slammed into each other. The energy burst tore through the lightning burst and raged across Thunderbirdmon's body. The bird started to fall back; its wings and body smoking from the assault of energy. "Now to be sure…" growled the raptor. The front of the raptor's chassis opened up revealing two small missile ports, "Ambush Crunch!"

Two, red missiles with black smiley faces flew forward and exploded the shockwave from the two missiles shook the mountain. Thunderbirdmon twirled backward and started spiraling to the ground. The bird glowed bright blue. The glow disappeared into the canopy of trees below. Raptordramon turned to Haru and Taku.

"That…you…he, digivolved…" gasped Haru as he pointed to Raptordramon.

"Yes, I did," replied Raptordramon. He jetted toward the two boys. "Get on; let's get back to the others before more armored cronies come."

Haru and Taku slowly boarded the digimon. Raptordramon slowly glided forward, and Renamon, DORUmon and Agumon hopped on. The yellow cyborg dragon grunted and then his rockets fired and they shot around the mountain.

888

"Look!" shouted Ren loudly. The girl pointed to the sky.

A yellow digimon was jetting towards them; on the digimon's back were Renamon, DORUmon, Taku, Haru, DemiDevimon and Agumon. The digimon dropped down and let the others off his back. The yellow raptor then glowed brightly and fizzled down into the recognizable form of Guilmon.

"Guilmon digivolved!" said Jiro in surprise.

"Yep," smiled Guilmon quietly. "I got rid of Thunderbirdmon, too."

Renamon walked past them and said, "We can celebrate when we get to Sorcerymon's."

The others looked at the vulpine digimon. The children looked at each other, "Can't we rest?"

"No, we must get to Sorcerymon's before nightfall, it is no longer a certainty that Baronmon does not know of our existence," replied Renamon. The fox started forward, "The longer we are out in the open like this, the higher chance we have that Baronmon will strike against us." With that, Renamon continued forward. The others sighed heavily and followed her.

888

"So…" murmured Baronmon quietly. His eyes fell upon the ape shaman, from the throne room of the Temple, "They did come."

"Yes, Lord Baronmon, and have defeated Thunderbirdmon, fortunately the fool had good enough sense to release the power or else he would've totally deleted," replied the shaman quietly, swishing his prehensile tail nervously. "If the Prophesied Ones are here, then…"

"Yes," replied the blue faced wizard. His eyes narrowed, "I will dispatch some one to Mount Mihirashi."

"Is there not someone already at the lake?" asked the shaman quietly.

"Yes, Sepikmon, yes there is," Baronmon's hands grasped the arm rests of the throne slowly. "It's always a good idea though, to have someone on stand by though."

"Who do you plan to send?" whispered Sepikmon quietly, his face mask tilted with his head.

"Task Force Alpha," whispered Baronmon quietly. He chuckled as Sepikmon's eyes widened.


	5. Twilight Beach Resort

**I don't own Digimon**

**Twilight Beach Resort**

**888**

"This is the magical lake that Sorcerymon lives on?" asked Ren quietly as they looked over the water's surface. The water glistened as it ran up on the beach.

"Yeah…" Renamon nodded. The golden sunset seemed to glow off the fox digimon's equally golden fur.

"How do we cross it?" asked Kisho. The dark haired boy crouched down and looked intently at the water.

"I think it's rather obvious," said Haru. He ran his hand through his spiked, blonde hair. Kisho looked up, as did Ren. Haru smiled and pointed, "We take the boat."

Rocking quietly on the soft rolls of the lake was a wooden rowboat. The children and their digimon walked slowly towards the small craft.

"There is only room for four," said Renamon with a frown.

"Don't be such a fussbudget," said Jiro as he and Agumon inspect the wooden boat.

"Don't worry Renamon, we can take turns," said Guilmon with an innocent smile. "We can make a decision after supper, ok?"

"Supper?" Renamon grumbled quietly, and then felt her stomach lurch a little. Her eyes narrowed, "Fine, but we must make it fast; I wish to be at Sorcerymon's before the end of the night."

"But the sun hasn't gone down yet!" Guilmon pointed out.

"I would rather transverse the lake in daylight than at night," DORUmon said quietly. "I don't like water that much…"

"I'd rather try and go out there alone, now, I don't want to wait anymore," said Taku loudly. He tried to push forward but Haru and Kisho stepped in the way.

"Yoshida-san, we can't let you," said the two boys. "Not without someone to take care of you.

"Idiots, I can take care of myself," snorted the dark clad boy loudly and he dropped back from the two other boys.

"Yoshida-kun," whispered Ren quietly. "Please wait, at least so that we make sure nothing happens to DemiDevimon."

Taku's eyes widened and then turned into a scowl, "Fine, but I'm doing this under duress!"

"I'll go for roots!" called DORUmon as he hopped away into the brush that surrounded the lake.

"Wait for me!" call Kisho.

"Don't leave us here!" yelped Haru, Guilmon, Jiro and Agumon as they ran after him.

"I think it would be best if we look for mussels or clams along the shore," said Renamon with a quick flick of her tail.

"What would we cook them in?" asked Ren as she made a face.

"We can cook them in their shells," replied the golden vixen as she leapt to a large stone and started to dig around its edges. "Here."

Ren looked up in surprise as a grey, slimy looking, ovular shell flew at her. It's small, ringed pattern glistened in the late afternoon sunlight.

"RENAMON!" shouted the girl as she pulled together and cowered from the flying projectile, "that's disgusting!"

The fox's head appeared above the rock, "Disgusting or not, it is food, if you don't want it, you can go hungry. Now, here's another one, go and clean them off and make a pile of them."

Ren gulped and picked up the mussel between her pointer finger, and thumb and held it at arm's length as she walked towards the water and splashed it in the lake.

"Do you want some help?" Taku had gently laid his partner against a reasonably sized stone and was now kneeling next to the girl.

A persistent rain of mussel flew up from the rock Renamon was digging around. The two children would grab up the mussels and then walk to the lake and washing them. One of the tossed mollusks had hit Taku in the head and the boy swore loudly. Ren pointed and laughed at the boy until one of the slimy shells came down out of its high arc and smacked her on the head. The girl stopped laughing and lifted her hand sliding it through her long, brown hair. Her small fingers slide through an area of slime on her head. A horrified look covered the girl's soft tan skin and her mouth opened releasing a horrible shriek of unbridled fear and loathing.

"Ren!" Renamon was at her side in less than a split second her golden fur ruffling slightly from the fast movement. "What's wrong?"

"I have mussel slime in my hair!" cried the girl loudly and dropped to her knees.

Renamon growled loudly and then stomped back to the rock to see if she could find more mussels.

"We're BACK!" called Guilmon as the red and black dragon pushed through the foliage with an armful of nuts and berries.

Behind Guilmon was Agumon who had a small assortment of asparagus like greens. DORUmon hopped forward carrying a collection of spindly sticks. The boys that had gone with their digimon partners had small armfuls of fruits, mainly apples or pears.

Jiro and Haru looked up and their eyes went from Ren to Taku back to Ren. The girl was still crying. Kisho scrambled forward to check out the scene. Haru dropped his fruit and clenched his fists and walked towards Taku.

"What did you do this time?" shouted the blonde loudly. His blue eyes seemed to darken into a twisting maelstrom.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" retorted Taku loudly. "She's just being a crybaby!"

"Sure, like you didn't do something to make her cry!" Haru growled loudly.

"It wasn't his fault," Ren sniffed and looked up, tears trickled down her cheek, "I just got hit by a mussel; it wasn't his fault."

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" called Renamon as she fired a wave of spitfire leaves, whose glowing auras plinked off the mound of mussels by the lake. The humans and digimon looked up in shock. The fox walked to the mound, gently swishing her golden tail behind her. She picked up an armful and carried them towards the rest of the group. "Put the twigs down and then pick up that flat rock over there." Renamon looked at Agumon and smiled, "After we have the twigs gathered, you will start them on fire, and then we shall use the rock as a cooker."

The boys piled the twigs together on the ground. Agumon smiled and pulled his back as flickers of flame twirled around his orange lips. "Pepper Breath!"

A ball of fire shot forward. Guilmon and DORUmon had put their collective fruits and herbs on the ground and gathered up the rock. They carefully put the rock on the flames and watched as small twists of steam rose from its surface. Renamon then, one by one, flicked the mussels open and put the half a shell with the meat of the mollusk on the warming stone.

"Now we wait," said Renamon quietly. The fox sat down by Ren and grasped an apple and took a bite.

"I've been thinking," whispered Haru quietly. "It would seem best if Ren and Yoshida-san go across the lake first."

"What do you mean?" Kisho said suddenly. The brown haired boy looked up at the older blonde.

"Well, Guilmon and DORUmon have been able to well, get bigger," said Haru quietly, "and Renamon hasn't yet and DemiDevimon can't…"

"If something were to happen," Renamon said quietly as she took another bite of apple, "you two would be the best capable of defending yourselves, not to mention the fact that DemiDevimon may need attention by Sorcerymon." The fox's eyes darted down to the fire, "The mussels are done." The fox agilely snapped up the shells and plopped them in the laps of the digimon and the humans.

"HOT HOT!" yelped Jiro as he juggled the mollusk shell in his hands. The other humans were acting similarly. Renamon narrowed her eyes.

"What is wrong?" grumbled Renamon quietly.

"The damn shells are hot!" shouted Taku loudly.

He tossed the shell into his shirt wrapping the cloth around the shell and ran to the bushes. He pulled fronds from a fern and then unfurled his shirt so the shell fell on the frond. Taku cupped his hand around the frond and he walked back to the fire with his shell and a bunch of fronds. Taku tossed the leaves to the others.

"Uh, thanks…" said Kisho as he juggled his shell and scooped up a frond.

"Yeah, well, can't have you covering our butts with burnt hands, now can I?" growled Taku as he returned to his spot around the fire.

"Yeah…" Kisho looked at the fire.

"I think I'm done…" said Ren as she put her fern frond down. "I don't think I could eat another one of those things…Renamon you can have my other one…" The fox looked at the girl and suspiciously took the extra mollusk and ate the meat.

"I'm done, too," whispered Taku quietly. He dropped is food next to him and got up. He walked to DemiDevimon and lifted the bat gently. "Let's get going…the twilight is starting to fade."

"He's right…" Renamon stood up and helped Ren to her feet and then proceeded towards the row boat. "Come along!" Taku walked forward and Renamon let him on and then helped Ren onto the boat.

"I'll row, you hold DemiDevimon," stated Taku as he put DemiDevimon in Ren's hands.

Renamon hopped into the boat and situated herself at the rudder. She turned her head to the humans remaining behind, "Give us a push."

Haru and Kisho ran forward and with an effort pushed the brown boat off the sandy shore. The boat glided silently against the incoming waves. Taku pulled the oars through the water, brought them up and then pulled them back into the water drawing the flats of the wooden rods through the dark waters.

"So is this Sorcerymon nice, or is he kind of crazy?" asked Ren quietly.

"I do not know, I have not seen him in many years," replied Renamon as she twitched the rudder to combat the light current of the lake.

"I guess that's ok," sighed Ren as she looked around her.

888

"I can see them!" rasped a charcoal voice. Its owner was a male in flaming red, ragged shirt and pants. "Down there, that little pinprick of what they call a fire…"

"Wonderful," A white and red, armored woman glided next to the first digimon on her long, white, feathered wings. Her golden face plate showed no emotion but a red color glinted with an understated happiness. "We shall blow them off the face of the planet.

"Do not…underestimate them!" buzzed a third voice. Its owner was an insect in crimson armor. His long wings whirred and his red abdomen trailed behind him with a long stinger on the end. "They have stopped Boarmon and Thunderbirdmon…that is no small feat…"

"I fear you overestimate them, my dear, FlyBeemon," giggled a little digimon. Dark green, rubbery armor covered the grey, chubby digimon. A pair of trailing ears twirled behind him and ended in heart-shaped arrowheads. "If you give them too much credit they may take it. We, Task Force Alpha, can't be degraded by a group of kids, now can we?"

"No, I don't suppose we can," replied FlyBeemon. The insect whirred as Task Force Alpha hovered to a stop over the 'pinprick' of fire.

"I say we torch them now, not let them see it come," rasped the burnt voice of the flame clothed humanoid. He drew two matchsticks from sheathes on his hips.

The woman next to him hovered slightly with her arms held up slightly. Her eyes glistened, "We'll give them a windburn like they've never experienced before!"

"Don't let them get toasted to soon, I want a little time to play," said the grey and green digimon. "Isn't that right, FlyBeemon?"

"Yeah, I want to give them a bit of a shock!" the insect purred. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, while bending his arms combatively.

"Yes, you try and keep that tough act up, FlyBeemon, I'm sure they won't notice the terror in your voice," chuckled the man in the red.

"Shut it, FlaWizardmon!" FlyBeemon shot back, "Just because I lost my nerve at Primary Village dealing with that Elecmon doesn't mean I'm no longer tough!"

"Do you hear that, Harpymon," asked the man in red. He lifted his hand up and lifted his red wide-brimmed hat to expose his burning eyes, "The bug still wants to play the lion's game even though he couldn't destroy a little mouse. I think he should show if his claws will still cut…"

The woman digimon turned her head and her eyes glowed and red orbs narrowed and lifted at the outer corners, "Yes, if the bug wishes…let him go first."

"We should await Coatlmon," said the grey and green digimon.

"No, the longer we wait the closer they'll get to Sorcerymon's," rasped the red digimon. "Coatlmon can join us when he gets here."

"We're just wondering if the little flea wants to commence the attack or if he'd rather wiggle here like the worm he is…" chuckled the woman.

"Fine, you want a start; here's a start!" shouted the insect loudly. The red, armored bee buzzed its wings, until they were nigh invisible. Streams of energy flowed from his wings to this clawed hands and he pulled his arms back and then pushed them forward, "FLY Spark!" A blast of lightning raced downwards at the pinprick of light.

888

Kisho grunted as he lifted himself up. Sand dropped off of his body as he looked around. He squinted in the dark searching for his friends.

"Haru, Jiro!" shouted Kisho as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "DORUMON!"

"Ugh…stop yelling…" grunted a voice not too far ahead of him. A stream of rising moonlight's afterglow revealed Haru as he staggered up from a crater. "As if that thunder wasn't enough to make me deaf, you yelling isn't helping." The boy stopped and looked around, "Where are you Jiro?"

"I'm ok, brother," shouted a small voice. A shorter boyish figure scrambled from the far edge of the crater.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped the voice of Agumon and a shot of fire flew into the sky.

"Pyro Sphere!" A red glow of heat followed the dinosaur's fire ball.

"DORUmon?" shouted Kisho loudly. He looked around fervently.

"I here!" called a familiar voice. The fox was shaking off water as he hopped forward. "Is it Thunderbirdmon?"

"Don't know…" Haru whispered quietly as he squinted and looked up.

"Silent Symphony!" a twisting blast of rainbow shot down, slicing the sandy beach in half. The blaze was followed by a white, feathered woman.

"Harpymon!" yelped DORUmon loudly, "She's an armor digimon and a wind sorceress; we could be in a lot of trouble…"

"Magical Ignition!" blasts of fire shot down from the sky causing the sands to erupt in eerie, blue flame. A man clad in ragged clothes landed on the sand and lifted a pair of glowing matchsticks to his face to reveal his stitched up mouth.

"Ack!" yelped Agumon. "FlaWizardmon, he's a powerful magician that uses fire like a sculptor uses clay!"

Agumon, DORUmon and Guilmon backed up, encircling their partners.

"Hehe, like you can protect your measly humans," a grayish-white figure stepped from one of the columns of flame created by FlaWizardmon. His green armor glowed softly in the flame. His plush face and body moved forward slowly and his small coal eyes glinted in the fire light.

"Well, that one doesn't seem so bad, he looks like a stuff toy in rubber armor," Jiro said as he pointed to the newcomer.

"Don't be fooled by his outward appearance, Jiro," Guilmon whispered in his innocent voice. "That one could be the most powerful of them all. He is called Puttimon."

The flames seemed to sway as a fourth digimon lowered form the skies. It was an armored fly. Its red armor reflected the flames quietly as the insect dropped to the ground.

"FlyBeemon," gasped the three destined digimon as one.

"There are two missing," rasped FlaWizardmon as he proceeded forward.

"We can gather them up after we've dealt with these," replied the grey and green digimon. The female digimon alighted behind the plush figure.

"Plus, we haven't forgotten about Archelomon; have we?" asked the woman. She lifted her claws up. "No need to take all the fun…" She curled her hands together, cupping her palms a spiral of wind formed in her hands, "Wind Seeker!"

"Pepper Breath!"

"Pyro Sphere!"

"Metal Cannon!"

The three Rookie attacks merged to form a flaming hot metal ball that exploded into the ball of twirling wind. The children behind the digimon turned there face as a breeze pushed their hair about.

"We're in trouble…" gulped DORUmon. The purpled raptor digimon looked up, "it took everything we had to deflect that…"

"Maybe…it's a good idea to try that growing thing…" replied Haru as he looked up. "Here comes another!"

"I'll protect you!" shouted Guilmon. The red dragon stood up to the blast of wind. "I won't let it through!" Haru's digivice started to glow. Guilmon was bathed in the bright light. "Guilmon, digivolve to Raptordramon!" The large metal raptor grunted as the twisting wind struck his metal chassis.

"Oh dear…" FlaWizardmon smirked quietly and lifted his matchsticks. "Fire Cloud!" a wave of flames shot forward.

"Watch out, Kisho!" shouted DORUmon as he leapt towards the boy. Kisho dropped back as his digivice started to glow. DORUmon's dark fur glistened with gold, "DORUmon, digivolve to DORUgamon!" large black wings unfurled between Kisho and the tsunami of flames. DORUgamon groaned as the flames rushed over his figure.

"How about you?" the plush digimon appeared next to Jiro.

Agumon slid in front of the boy. The orange reptile opened its flaming mouth, "Pepper Breath!"

The plush, green armored digimon, Puttimon, lifted his hand and a lavender energy shield appeared in front of his palm. The blast of flame from Agumon dispersed into the air. The little dinosaur fired shot after shot only to have the plush digimon just move his hand to deflect the blasts.

"I believe you've had enough turns," yawned the friendly faced digimon. Its long ears rose up. "Talon Arrow!" The heart shaped arrowheads at the end of its long ears shot forward sliced back and forth and up and down and striking like a cobra. Agumon staggered back collapsing in Jiro's arms. The plush digimon walked forward and his twinkling black eyes looked up at Jiro, "Not much of an event now is he?"

"TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!" roared Raptordramon. "CRASH CHARGE!"

A blast of blue lightning slammed the little toy-like digimon sending it bouncing backward. Jiro looked up as Raptordramon turned, slamming his tail into the midsection of the insect digimon.

"POWER METAL!" a golden blast of energy shot forward and FlaWizardmon was sent sliding backward behind a shield of flames.

888

Renamon turned her head when the blast of lightning had hit the campsite. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the four attackers descend.

"We have to go back!" shouted Ren loudly.

"We've come too far to turn back now, Guilmon and DORUmon will protect them," replied Renamon sturdily, even though she didn't totally believe herself. She looked back again to see the lights signifying a pair of digivolutions. Renamon sighed quietly to herself.

"We have to go back! TAKU, PLEASE!" shouted Ren hysterically as explosions erupted from the beach.

"Renamon is correct," replied the dark clad boy, "plus we would hardly be able to help them…"

Renamon narrowed her eyes and was about to growl, when something in the light of the battle caught her eyes. She turned her head and focused her cobalt eyes on the water's surface. Something slowly receded back under the surface. Renamon swiveled her ears around searching for any sound from whatever was following them.

She frowned, whatever it was had escaped into the depths. Her ears pricked up suddenly. "Or not…" she growled. The two humans looked up at the vulpine digimon, "Hold tight!" Renamon leapt into the air. She folded her arms up, and they glowed bright white. "Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"

The white bursts of sharp leaves shot down into a large shadow that cruised silently beside the row boat. The leaves exploded into the water, only to have a few shoot back up into the sky. Renamon maneuvered herself around and then spun forward and dove into the water. The dark liquid barely made a sound as the lithe fox slipped into its depths.

Renamon swept around and downward the black mass was coming about. Renamon narrowed her eyes. She clenched her fist and pushed it forward. White, leaf arrowheads shot into the murkiness. The ovular mass continued forward as the white leaves skewed off as they struck the mass. Renamon growled and kicked backwards, and raced for the surface. She needed air. The mass was chasing her. A stream of moonlight sliced valiantly through the water revealing a golden head and red hair and a large, lavender, beaked maw.

Renamon shot through the surface a several feet from the rowboat. She looked up at the two humans as they watched her.

"What's wrong, Renamon?" shouted Ren.

"Get the boat…" Renamon didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as the massive maw of a huge green-shelled turtle enclosed across her midriff and lifted her into the air, shaking her.

"RENAMON!" Renamon heard Ren scream as the turtle tossed Renamon away like an unloved, rag doll.

The fox turned toward the boat. The heavy, green shell slid under the water leaving only the line of large, spinal spikes exposed above the water. The shell rose again. The turtle opened its mouth. Renamon hauled her arms forward to propel herself forward through the water, painfully kicking her legs and swishing her, now, heavy tail.

"Ocean Strom!" a grey sphere of swirling mist shot from the turtle's mouth. It shot through the water leaving behind a large wake. The sphere seemed to grow as it cut through the water.

"REN!" shouted the fox loudly.

The girl screamed and the boy looked up and pulled hard on the left oar. The rowboat swung hard to the left as the sphere exploded into the back of the small boat. The small wooden craft spun and twisted in the water. Ren scrambled up the ship as the back of the boat swept under the water's surface.

"Get back down there!" yelped the boy as he tried to fend off the girl's advances and lost the oars into the water. The boy cursed and then pushed Ren off of him. "GET off!"

"Ocean Strom!" growled the turtle, firing a second volley at the stranded ship.

Renamon shouted loudly as the grey sphere exploded into the boat's side. Ren screamed and the boy shouted as their forms were flung into the air with shrapnel from the rowboats. Renamon growled loudly as she pushed forward. She dove down into the water and swept upwards shooting up from the water.

She could pick out Ren floating with a group of wooden planks. The human boy was swimming free, DemiDevimon on his head. The turtle was racing towards them with its mouth wide open.

"Archelomon!" Shouted Renamon loudly as she dove into the water and raced after the large turtle. She cut through the water like a torpedo. Renamon pulled alongside the large shelled reptile and then pushed forward still. "Power Punch!" Renamon leveled a glowing fist in the side of the beast's head. Archelomon growled loudly and swept its blocky head sideways slamming Renamon's flank. Renamon groaned and back paddled putting herself between Ren and the human boy.

"Fin Cutter!" The front, blade-like fins of the large turtle glowed blood red and energy blades sliced through the water.

"Renamon no!" screamed Ren loudly.

Renamon could hear the girl's feet kicking in the water. Renamon turned her head to see a blinding light. The light screamed loudly and seemed to cut her to the wick. Her body strengthened. She looked at her hands; they were glowing bright white.

"Renamon digivolve to…" A huge lobster claw swiped forward smashing the red energy blades into the depths, "…Ebidramon!" The turtle stopped dead in its tracks as it measured up the large lobster digimon. Ebidramon lifted its claws and smiled. "Oh, yeah, I think I'm going to like this…" The claws opened revealing a hidden, toothed orifice. "Twin Neptune!" glowing, aqua-blue blasts shot from the claws.

They exploded into Archelomon. The turtle turned to retreat but the blasts kept coming. Each attack stripped a chunk of its armor shell from its body. Ebidramon rushed forward ramming the turtle and clenching its claws on the reptile. It released one claw and lifted it up. The claw glowed brightly. Ebidramon dropped the claw hard on the head of the turtle. A resounding crack snapped into the air and the turtle's eyes bled from the tear ducts and the turtle quickly exploded into data. Ebidramon turned around and picked up the boy, DemiDevimon and Ren and then swept back towards shore.

"Re-Renamon…" whispered the girl as she held onto a pair of antenna that swept back from Ebidramon. "Did…you have to?"

"He was going to eat you, or worse, he would not have…" started Ebidramon.

"He was running away!" screamed Ren loudly.

"He would've come back…" growled Ebidramon loudly. There was a loud explosion on the beach. Ebidramon looked up and saw the shadow of DORUgamon twirling backward through the sky and Raptordramon was being knocked into the water. Ebidramon frowned and lifted her claws, "Twin Neptune!"

Spitfire aqua blasts rained onto the beach. One of the digimon was a humanoid dressed in red caught three blasts to the torso and it sent him flying backward into his three companions who collectively crashed into a huge tree. Ebidramon crawled up on the beach as DORUgamon crashed onto the ground and fizzled to DORUmon. Raptordramon staggered onto shore next to Ebidramon and collapsed, transforming to Guilmon in the process.

"Hurry, everyone!" shouted Ren. "Get on!"

Jiro, carrying Agumon, scrambled up on the claws of Ebidramon and then on the body of the large lobster, followed by Haru and Guilmon and then Kisho and DORUmon. Ebidramon pushed off of the shore and started swimming towards the island in the middle of the lake.

**888**

**Dark Qiviut: Yep, definitely used to not getting reviews for my stories when they begin. My first review came nine chapters after I started Shadows and four chapters into Fall, I think people like to make sure a fic' is worth reviewing before reviewing so it takes a few chapters. Taku's jackassry continues this chapter, though in much more diluted form. **


	6. Rest and Repose at Sorcerymon’s

**I don't own digimon, Sophocles's quotes, Charlie Brown's quotes, Poe's poem the Raven, Confucian thought, and other such quotes spoken by Sorcerymon. I used a site called quotationspage . com**

**Rest and Repose at Sorcerymon's**

**888 **

Ren ran up the shore with Taku. There was a small cabin at the edge of the beach. One window glowed hazily. The children were all running up the hill that the house rested on. Renamon leapt from the water and bounded up the beach.

Ren skidded to a stop at the door. Her fist whammed onto the wooden barrier and she shouted loudly. The door swept open and Ren's fist fell forward to be caught by a white, gloved hand.

Two blue eyes twinkled from under the brim of a white, witch's hat, "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis a visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door; only this and nothing more…"

"Uh…" Ren looked in the pair of cobalt eyes that glowed at her softly from under the shadows.

"Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December," said Haru suddenly. The blue eyes of the digimon flashed upwards and looked at the blonde. A coy smile played over the blonde's lips. "And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished for morrow, vainly I had sought to borrow. From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore, for the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore. Nameless here forevermore."

The digimon seemed to smile, though his mouth was covered by a mouth guard. The creature nodded, and the golden pony tail it wore shifted slightly off its shoulder. The digimon released Ren and stood with its back to the door frame and extended an arm into the cabin.

"That was…" whispered Ren as she walked past the digimon and looked at Taku. "Surreal…"

The others followed trying to maintain a distinct distance from the owner of the cabin and themselves. Only Renamon stopped and lowered her head to the digimon, whose response was to lay its gloved hand on the fox's head and pat the soft golden fur. Renamon lifted her head and proceeded in followed by the digimon as he swept his platinum cloak around him, shutting the door behind him.

"Sorcerymon, I presume," Haru said as he looked at the white clad wizard.

The pale face nodded quietly and walked straight to Taku. His blue eyes were piercing and he lifted his hands, picking up DemiDevimon.

"Hey!" yelped Taku as he looked at the wizard.

Sorcerymon cradled DemiDevimon with one arm and lifted a single finger to the white mouth guard. His blue eyes twinkled and Taku grew quiet. The wizard slowly walked past the children and laid DemiDevimon on a small table that inhabited the small living chamber of the cabin.

A lit fireplace crackled on one of the walls and seemed to cover the dark room with an eerie glow. The children looked around them. The walls were nothing more than huge bookshelves. Books covered the walls; a pile of books laid next to a large red recliner, a second, blue recliner rested on the opposite side of a large blue and white rug.

The wizard then turned and walked over to the door again and picked up a staff. The end of the staff ended in a snowflake shaped scepter.

"Is he hurt badly?" asked Taku. The boy walked up to the side of wizard and followed him. "Please, tell me, is he hurt so badly?"

"Forget injuries, never forget kindness," replied the wizard quietly. Taku stopped dead in his tracks.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" shouted the boy loudly. Renamon quickly appeared behind the boy and grabbed him over the mouth and pulled him close against her chest.

She lowered her lips to his ears. "It would be best if you do not act so offensively to Sorcerymon…you do not know what he can do…"

"mmI mmdomn't mcammre!" muffled Taku through the fur.

"That's the secret to life…replace one worry with another, eh Renamon," whispered the wizard as he stood next to the table. His blue eyes glowed softly as they made contact with the fox's.

"Master Sorcerymon…" replied Renamon. "I did not mean to…"

"The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves," replied Sorcerymon with a knowing smile.

"Look, can you make him better?" asked Taku as he struggled free of Renamon's arms.

"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease," said the digimon with a smile.

"What the hell?" Taku shouted loudly. He glared at the digimon. "What is wrong with you…?"

"Anyone can see," started Haru quietly. "He's talking in quotes."

The other humans looked at Haru in surprise. Kisho rubbed his head, "So…does anyone else feel like we're missing something…"

"I do," said Guilmon.

"Guilmon, you'd miss a Whamon if it swam under your nose," giggled Agumon quietly.

"Well I guess that's true," replied Guilmon as he lifted a finger to his mouth.

"So what does the wizard mean, brainiac?" Taku growled as he looked at Haru.

"I think he's saying that DemiDevimon isn't as badly hurt as we think…" Haru looked at the wizard for support.

The wizard nodded quietly.

"Then why didn't you just say so?" Taku clenched his fist.

"That would've been," the wizard spoke quietly, "not nearly as stimulating for your minds."

"Is that the only reason?" shouted Taku. His arms were trembling with fury.

"Yes," said Sorcerymon quietly. "I saw your fight with the flunkies of Baronmon." He lifted his staff. "Now, if you will allow me to work without your little questions." He pointed to a doorway, "There are crackers in the kitchen, you will need to eat."

"I would rather pass," said Taku as he stood next to the table and looked down at DemiDevimon.

"Do not fret, DemiDevimon is better off than you believe," said Sorcerymon with a smile.

The others passed from the living room and into the kitchen. Sorcerymon smiled and his scepter glowed with several intertwining, pastoral colors.

"What do you mean, better off than I believe," whispered Taku quietly.

Sorcerymon sighed and the scepter stopped glowing, "DemiDevimon and several of his viral cohorts have the ability to repair themselves through meditating…unfortunately, for DemiDevimon, this technique is still very infantile and manifested itself as a self induced coma."

"You mean the lazy little rat, has been sleeping this whole time!" yelped Taku loudly. He glared at the round bat.

"Well, it was an unconscious reflex reaction by his core program to maintain integrity, and like I said, he shouldn't really be able to…do it," Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes and lifted his staff, "So once he got into the coma, he kind of got locked in his own mind. Now, please, no more questions, if you wish to stay; be silent so I may do the voodoo that I do."

Taku looked up at the wizard with a frown. He found a wooden chair a couple of steps from the table in a corner and sat down and watched. The snowflake emblem on the top of the staff glowed with an intertwining, pastoral rainbow of color. The stream of colors then fell on DemiDevimon. The bat, bathed in the aural colors, twitched. Sorcerymon strained the staff's emblem forward as if with great strain. The colors brightened. Taku squinted as the colors merged into a white light and burned the shadows, which had inhabited the corner, into nothing.

The light faded and Taku heard Sorcerymon say something and he slowly opened his eyes to see DemiDevimon sitting up and stretching his wings. The blackish-blue bat curled his toes gently touching the crimson claws together. Sorcerymon smiled quietly and then drew his cloak around himself and walked out of the room.

"Hey, bat," growled Taku as he leveled his gaze onto the golden eyes of the bat.

"Hey yourself, Yoshida-san," replied the bat with a little contempt in his voice.

"Call me Taku," said the boy. The bat's eyes widened. Taku frowned, "Don't get all mushy and wide-eyed, it's because you saved me; that at least gets you to call me by my first name."

"ME, MUSHY?" yelped the bat, "You wish, I'm not mushy for no one!"

"Uh huh," said the boy quietly as he stood up. "You know how heavy you are?"

"Whatdya do, lug me around everywhere?" the bat returned narrowing his eyes.

"Well you're sleepy butt wasn't going anywhere on its own!" retorted Taku as he grabbed the bat up and shook it, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE?"

"I…thought….you….didn't….care…" gasped the bat as he moved forward and back in the grip of the human.

"Don't be an idiot," growled Taku as he stopped shaking the bat and just held the blue furred creature in front of him. "You saved my life, I have to at least care a little; otherwise it would mean I'm worthless…"

"Ah…" said the bat. He looked around, "Any grub in this joint, I'm hungry."

"Yeah…the kitchen," said Taku quietly. He let the bat go so it could fly and walked to the room Sorcerymon had gone, "this way."

888

Taku walked in on a scene of utter chaos. Ren had her face covered in jelly and looked like she was about ready to cry. A blanket had been draped around her; it was then he noticed that his clothes were still, relatively wet. Renamon had Agumon and Guilmon in two headlocks and DORUmon was trying to calm Ren, but he was also carrying a peanut butter knife loaded with peanut butter. Guilmon's tail jerked, ramming DORUmon and the peanut butter landed in Ren's hair.

"Uh…DemiDevimon, you may want to cover your…ears," said Taku as he put his hands over his ears. The bat landed on Taku's head and folded its wings over the side of its head.

The scene froze as Ren's mouth opened wide enough to fit a softball into it. Taku shudder as he heard the muffled scream of the girl. Renamon's ears collapsed against the side of her head, as did Guilmon's bat-winged ears. Kisho and Haru were curled up in fetal position covering their ears and Jiro was just standing there too stunned to actually protect himself. Fortunately Sorcerymon swept his cloak around the boy and curled down on the floor.

Poor DORUmon clunked his purple head on the table and spilled a glass of milk that, unfortunately, landed all over Ren's skirt. The girl stopped screaming. Her right eye twitched.

"Uh…Ren…" Kisho pulled his hands from the sides of his head and hesitantly moved forward.

"I wouldn't get too close, Kisho," whispered Guilmon, "She may go off again…she's kind of like a tea kettle, you know she's going to go off, but you don't know when…"

Suddenly DemiDevimon started to laugh. He fell off of Taku's head and rolled on the floor. He pointed up at Ren and then at DORUmon and Renamon and laughed uncontrollably.

"And what, is so funny?" asked Renamon coolly as she released the two reptilian digimon under her arms.

"The Great Digi-destined!" laughed DemiDevimon as he struggled to his feet and staggered about, "brought down by jelly, peanut butter and milk…they've been beaten by breakfast!"

"That was one of the most powerful shrieks in the modern world," said Sorcerymon with a smirk. "Indeed I have not heard such a shriek since the attacks of Witchmon in the first wars."

Ren looked up. Tears were in her eyes. "I-I…have…peanut butter in my hair, my clothes are soaked and covered in milk, Agumon and Guilmon hit me in the face with a piece of jellied toast…"

"Poor child," Sorcerymon stood up and patted Jiro on the head to make sure the boy was indeed safe. "Come, let me show you to the bath."

The girl sniffed and looked up at the digimon and then nodded. Sorcerymon gently took the girl's hand and led her out of another doorway. Taku looked at the others and frowned.

"What did you guys do?" yelped the boy loudly.

"Well, Agumon was taking all the jellied toast…" whimpered Guilmon. He looked down and seemed to shift feet guiltily. "I was going to take the next one and Agumon grabbed it too, and well…it sort of flew out of my hands and onto Ren's face…"

Sorcerymon appeared again and smiled at everyone. "Right, now I am sure I have some pajamas around here somewhere…"

"Master Sorcerymon, please, you have been more than accommodating," started Renamon as she frowned at the mess the kitchen was in.

"I know, but you have a long day tomorrow," said Sorcerymon quietly. The children and the digimon looked up. Sorcerymon sighed and looked down, "The digimon you battled on the mainland have not left; they are awaiting your departure. You must rest and eat and regain your strength, they will not be easy to deal with…"

"Can't you just kick their ass, all I've heard these last couple of days is how awesome you are," grumbled Taku loudly as he looked at Renamon and then the wizard. The white clad sorcerer didn't meet his gaze.

"It's not my place anymore to fight the fight, I only tend to the injured that come to me," replied Sorcerymon as he walked slowly past Taku, his cloak draped limply over his shoulders.

"Master Sorcerymon!" Renamon called out as she rushed past Taku to follow the wizard.

The others glowered at Taku. Haru narrowed his eyes.

"WHAT?" yelped Taku loudly.

"I think it's called tact," whispered DemiDevimon. He looked up at Taku who was fuming slightly.

888

"Renamon, don't ask," said Sorcerymon suddenly. He was sitting in the red recliner and was looking into the fire.

"Sorcerymon, you know you could turn the tide against Armored Command," said the fox as she walked up to the crimson recliner.

The wizard's hat was no longer on Sorcerymon's head. His neatly combed golden hair was slightly ruffled where his head made contact with the back cushion of the recliner.

"It's been two years since my brother went to find the Order," whispered Sorcerymon. His fingers curled around a cup. Renamon narrowed her eyes; she didn't remember Sorcerymon with any tea earlier.

"It's not tea," Sorcerymon said suddenly, shocking Renamon. "I needed something a little stronger…"

"Why won't you fight? You could lead the army, the digimon would listen to you, with a unified force we could push Baronmon back and get rid of him!" said Renamon the fox was standing next to the sorcerer. Her gaze was directed at the fire.

"Young one, remember when you came here the first time…" whispered Sorcerymon. "I told you then that your strength is only important when you have something to protect, power without a reason is just corruption…"

"But you have something to protect!" Renamon turned her head to Sorcerymon. "Why do you hide here?"

"Because…" Sorcerymon looked up at Renamon. "I belong here, my fighting days are over!"

"You are so strong, if you would just…" Renamon started kneeling down as if to plead with the wizard.

"Then what, after I defeat the Armored digimon?" asked Sorcerymon. His blue eyes closed and he lifted a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose. "They would demand I take up that defiled throne up on Infinity Mountain. It would just keep piling up, the next thing you know your in league with an Alliance somewhere on Folder sending troops against an malevolent force on Server…no, I won't be responsible for that…"

"You're afraid…" whispered Renamon. "Not of ruling, you're afraid you'll lose digimon, like Bearmon…" Renamon narrowed her eyes, "He wanted to go that way; he wished to do it to save us so we could win the war…"

"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake," recited Sorcerymon as he lifted the tea cup to his lips and took a sip. He winced as the strong fluid burned down his throat. "It's not just him. Terriermon, Kotemon, Tapirmon, the Patamon twins, heck even Dinohumon. They…all were deleted."

"But they'll be back…" Renamon started.

"No, their forms will be back but their memories…" Sorcerymon took another sip of his drink, "their memories will be scattered across time and territory. It's like some torturous joke…"

"Please, reconsider Sorcerymon," pleaded the fox quietly.

"There is nothing to consider," whispered Sorcerymon quietly. His blue eyes looked up at the fox, "The beds are made upstairs, I put a curtain between Ren's and the rest of the humans; I noticed that she was…different…"

"Yes, she's 'female'," said Renamon with a furrowed brow, "It seems that it makes humans squeamish to be too close to humans of different attributes, especially, when they've discarded their clothing."

"Then they aren't that much different than digimon, maybe one day our two worlds will see the light," whispered Sorcerymon quietly as he took another sip, "if worse comes to worse, someone could just release Lucemon, he'll homogenize everything…"

Renamon winced at the sound of the angel's name. "You are the only one I've ever met that has been able to say his name without flinching…well except for Guilmon, but he doesn't know what he's doing…"

"Oh, don't be too sure," whispered Sorcerymon as he watched the fire crackle, "Ignorance of certain subjects is a great part of wisdom."

Renamon nodded and turned from the fire and returned to the kitchen. The boys were cleaning dishes, much to Renamon's shock. DemiDevimon was eating fruit and crackers and DORUmon, Agumon and Guilmon were wiping the table, chairs and floor.

"We thought…" said Kisho quietly, "that since Sorcerymon let us eat and helped DemiDevimon out that we'd help clean up…"

Renamon nodded and started to walk in the direction Sorcerymon had lead Ren. The corridor had little torch lamps that flickered quietly and halfheartedly dispelled the shadows of the hall. Renamon's shadow fluttered playfully on the ground as the fox proceeded to a door where light shimmered from around the hinges.

Renamon walked to the door and knocked softly on the wooden surface, "It's me, Ren; may I come in?"

"Sure!" called the girl. She seemed much cheerier than she did several minutes earlier. The fox turned the handle gently and opened the door. Mounds of bubbles surrounded Ren as she sat in a large tub. "Oh, Renamon, can we stay here? Sorcerymon has every kind of soap and body lotion…"

Renamon crooked an eyebrow. The twisting scents of every fruit, from apples to kiwi to mangos to strawberries assaulted her nose. "You know the answer to that question."

"Awe, can't we at least stay here a couple of days?" whined the girl as she pulled the plug on the tub and stood. Bubbles clung to the girl's figure as she extended her leg and got out of the tub.

Renamon closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm afraid that those digimon from earlier are still on the shore, they may attack."

"Oh…" whispered Ren as she dried herself and wrapped a towel around her chest and looked around and smiled. She walked to a sink and lifted a brush and started to stroke her long, dark hair with the blue object. "I guess it would be best then, I wouldn't wish Sorcerymon to be dragged into something…that he doesn't deserve to be dragged into."

"That's my sentiments also," said Renamon as she looked in the mirror above the sink. She caught her blue eyes in the mirror's reflection.

"Is something wrong Renamon?" asked Ren as she turned to look at her partner.

"No, it's just…" The fox looked at the floor, "it is between myself and Sorcerymon, there is no need for you to get involved and complicate the matter."

"Oh…" whispered Ren quietly. She walked across the bathroom edging past Renamon. She looked down on a small hamper that rested on the opposite end of the bathroom from the sink, and sat next to the toilet. On the hamper was a set of clothes, a blue blouse and mini-skirt and a pair of soft, lavender pajamas. Ren turned and looked at Renamon, "Your friend is far too kind."

"Yes, he is," whispered Renamon quietly. The fox walked to the door of the bathroom, "get dressed and I'll show you to the upstairs loft where our beds are." Renamon left the bathroom and stood outside. The fox narrowed her eyes. "He has so much pain; he has to be kind to survive his own guilt…"

888

"Well, it's about time snake face," grumbled FlaWizardmon. The large amphitere hovered above the tree line. Its white and gold armor covered his scaly body. Large, white, feathered wings flapped to keep him stable in the air and green hair ruffled in the lake breeze.

"I am sorry, but there was an uprising in Toy Town, it seems one of the Numemon digivolved, I had to wait for Sagittarimon and Task Force Beta to get there from the temple." Replied the winged snake. He turned and looked at the island in the middle of the lake, "So the boss wants us to take out Sorcerymon?"

"No," said Puttimon. The plush digimon walked forward, "We are to destroy the humans and digimon under his care…"

"Let's attack now!" shouted Harpymon loudly.

"No," rasped FlaWizardmon.

"Sorcerymon will keep vigil," said FlyBeemon. The red insect hummed forward. "We wait until they leave. With Coatlmon here with us, they should be no problem at all."

"Then you got all antsy so I could wait for several hours?" growled the winged snake.

"We could've used you a few hours ago," growled the other digimon.

"Well, I'm going to sleep then," grumbled Coatlmon as he lowered himself to the ground and curled up, "Wake me if you see anything."

888

"Night, Haru. Night Jiro. Night Kisho. Sleep well Yoshida-san!" called Ren from behind the curtain. "Night Agumon, Guilmon, DORUmon and DemiDevimon."

"Night Ren!" chorused most of the boys' voice and the digimon.

"Sleep well, Sasaki-san," said Taku with a half hearted grumble.

Ren slid under some soft, blue covers and looked up at Renamon, who was leaning against the wall of the loft, "Come on Renamon, aren't you going to bed?"

The fox looked at the girl. "Do you wish for me to sleep with you?"

"Well, there is only one bed, and I don't expect you to sleep on the floor," said Ren with a smile. "Plus it will help keep each other warm…"

"You would rather sleep with me than one of your own kind?" The fox was surprised.

"Why would I want to sleep with the boys, they kick and snore…" giggled the girl quietly as she patted the mattress. "Plus, they don't have a soft coat of fur to snuggle up to."

Renamon rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ok, but I'm only doing this to keep you comfortable."

"Of course you are," giggled the girl. The fox sat down on the edge of the bed and then swept her feet under the covers next to Ren's.

"Night, Renamon," yawned the girl. She laid her head on the pillow, but then sat up and gave Renamon a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Renamon blushed, this time she felt the heat rise to the tips of her fur follicles. "Sleep fitfully, Ren."

Renamon leaned back slightly and much to her surprise found her tail curling up and hugging the child gently. The fox was about to move her tail, when she heard a quiet, content sigh escape the lips of the child. Renamon smiled a little and laid her head back and closed her eyes.

**888**

**Alforce: Thank you, for reviewing, and it is true, Alforce did get a preview, because I wanted to make sure it was a good idea and I'd like to thank him for doing that. I fixed the sentence you pointed out, I definitely made a calculated error there. Renamon's digivolution is mainly because I needed a water digimon, of some sort, and as it was really between Ebidramon and Depthmon, and well when you look, Renamon does look a lot like Ebidramon, especially in the face and Depthmon is too close to being in Armored Command to be safe for the story. **


	7. So Long to the Days of Neutrality

**I don't own Digimon or the quote towards the end of the story. **

**So Long to the Days of Neutrality**

**888**

Sorcerymon was up. Renamon's ears twitched again. The wizard was trying to sound like he was trying to be quiet. She looked down at the human girl that was nuzzled up in her tail. The fox frowned slightly and gently disentangled her tail from the fingers and arms of the child, much to the dreaming girl's disapproval. Ren grunted and let out a soft 'Awww' noise as she turned and clasped a pillow tight against her chest.

The fox slowly slid from the bed and then stealthily left the loft. Flashes of the hall played across her vision as she swept back and forth between reality and a small kitsune universe that she had learned to utilize before the Armored Digimon had attacked. She had not told anyone of this new ability hoping to keep it secret in case of an emergency.

She crept up to the doorway leading into the kitchen. She decided to remain within her own little bubble of reality, so she could watch the wizard. Sorcerymon was fussing with a stove and with halfhearted effort tried to keep the skillets from clattering.

"Curiosity killed the cat," said Sorcerymon quietly as his head turned and his eyes fixed on the position Renamon was standing. "Well, in this case the fox, but I believe the meaning is the same…"

Renamon phased into sight and looked at the wizard. "You knew I was there…"

"You don't think I wouldn't know what's going on in my own home, Renamon?" Sorcerymon asked quietly. "Plus I knew you'd come…"

"You lured me down here," Renamon narrowed her eyes.

"I did," conceded the wizard with a faux apologetic expression on his face. He walked forward and pulled a chair out and sat down at the table. His hands intertwined. "I want you to leave as soon as possible…"

"Why?" Renamon walked to the table, "We should wait for nightfall and slip away in the dark."

"They won't wait that long," replied Sorcerymon quietly. "I have been watching things…" Sorcerymon reached into his jacket and pulled out a crystal ball. Renamon narrowed her eyes and stared into the glass globe. Sorcerymon looked up at the fox. "Toy Town is in full rebellion."

An image of a golden, bear digimon was marching across the globe's surface. Red lasers shot out of its eyes as Armored Command's Rookie allies retreated. She could make out the images of a few of the Armored Digimon that constituted one of the main enforcer squadrons but not much more.

"Are the rebels winning?" asked Renamon quietly.

"For the time, but its very iffy," said Sorcerymon. He put the ball on the table. "You must go to Toy Town, if you don't…"

"The rebels will be crushed…" replied Renamon quietly. "But the taskforce here will follow us!"

"No, they won't…" said Sorcerymon. The wizard stood up and turned, "I'll keep them busy here."

"You can't!" Renamon retorted with less decorum than she usually held.

"I can at least slow them down," replied Sorcerymon. The wizard turned slightly, "I've sat on the sidelines too long."

"What made you change your mind?" Renamon looked intensely at the wizard.

"I realized that while I sat here hiding from the fact that doing something would lead to digimon being deleted," started Sorcerymon quietly, "that there are digimon being deleted because I have done nothing."

"Will you enlist then?" asked Renamon as she leaned on the table. The wizard shook his head. Renamon released a sighing growl of frustration, "Why not?"

"This is something I have to do on my own…" replied the wizard quietly. "I may go and help Meramon in his guerilla actions along the Mihirashi River, but I will not be part of this officially."

"Then join us," Renamon's eyes tried to tear into the wizard, but his subtle innocence and calmness repelled any glare the fox could muster. "Trust me, we could use your experience and help…we're winging it…"

"It's not my place to interfere with destiny," replied the wizard. "You will do better on your own than with me pulling your strings, plus I'd make you an even bigger target and those poor humans don't need any more stress than what they already have."

"Please, Sorcerymon, don't do this alone," implored Renamon as she looked into the wizard's eyes. "I'm begging you, don't do this alone."

"I won't be alone…" whispered Sorcerymon. He clenched his fist, "I'll have Bearmon, Terriermon, Kotemon, the Patamon twins and even Dinohumon with me…You're never truly alone, just lonely."

Renamon narrowed her eyes and glowered at the wizard, "This is insanity…"

"What is?" yawned Ren as she appeared from the hallway.

"Nothing," growled Renamon quietly as she glared at Sorcerymon.

"I wish someone would tell me something…" whimpered the girl quietly.

"I'm planning on giving you a head start," said Sorcerymon to the girl.

"What?" the girl's eyes widened slightly, "You don't mean…" The wizard nodded silently. Ren looked to Renamon, "He can't, they'll cook him, I mean they took on DORUgamon and Raptordramon and still survived you blindsiding them…"

"I know," said Renamon quietly not breaking her eye contact with Sorcerymon.

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" asked Sorcerymon his voice took a pseudo-threatening tone. His eyes flashed up and met Renamon's, "Young lady, I was fighting evil digimon before your digi-egg even was woven!" Sorcerymon took a step forward, "When you were Reremon I was keeping Primary Village safe from the Server Invasion forces," He took another step forward. "When you were Viximon I was protecting your furry little butt by fighting off ocean digimon as they tried to bring Dragomon back through the whirlpool," He slammed his hand on the table, "and by the Founders I was protecting you as Renamon when you got overwhelmed by those Vilemon, so don't go about telling me I can't take care of myself miss fur face!"

Renamon's eyes narrowed. "If you wish to do this I cannot stop you. That does not mean I don't think it is insanity. They outnumber you and from what I have seen they are very powerful."

"I only have to buy you time, I don't have to win," replied Sorcerymon sternly.

"Win what?" yawned a group of voices. Renamon narrowed her eyes and looked back to see the boys and their digimon were awake.

"What's the commotion about?" grumbled Taku as she stretched.

"Yeah, some wake up call you have here, Sorcerymon," grumbled DemiDevimon.

"He wishes to take on those digimon you faced last evening by himself," blurted Ren.

"WHAT?" yelped Jiro, Haru and Kisho.

"I'm sorry, Sorcerymon, no disrespect or anything," started Kisho as he walked into the kitchen.

"Those guys will cream you!" yelped DORUmon. Kisho nodded quietly.

"They will, Sorcerymon," Haru looked up at the wizard, "They are ruthless, we could barely hold them off let alone beat them…"

"And that was two and a half on four," yelped Agumon. The little orange digimon looked down, "I'd hate to see what four on one would do."

"Please, Mr. Sorcerymon," whimpered Jiro as he looked up at the wizard with large blue eyes.

"My mind is made up, you will leave after you have eaten and bathed," said Sorcerymon. "I have made some packs for you, I included some clothes, and some cloaks, there is a storm rolling in from the north and I don't want you catching yourself a cold…"

"Sorcerymon…" Ren started but the wizard shook his head and turned back to the stoves.

Sorcerymon started to stir something, "Ren you should bathe first; then the boys…the packs are in the living room…"

888

Taku walked out of the bathroom and rubbed his hair. His dark hair spiked up like Haru's and Kisho's hair. Taku grimaced and slid his hand over his hair flattening it.

The others were downstairs. He quickly went up the stairs holding his towel tightly over his waist.

"It took you long enough!" said DemiDevimon as the bat sat on Taku's bed.

"Why aren't you downstairs?" growled Taku quietly.

"I wanted to wait for you," replied DemiDevimon. "Jeesh, you'd think I'd killed someone."

"Well do you need to be here while I change?" asked Taku. The boy narrowed his eyes and looked at the bat.

"Eh, change? Are you going to digivolve?" asked DemiDevimon.

"No!" yelped Taku, "I'm going to take this towel off and put some clothes on!"

"Yeah?" DemiDevimon furrowed his brows. "You're point?"

"The towel…it's coming off!" yelped Taku. He stared at the opaque look on DemiDevimon face.

"I understand that," replied DemiDevimon, "look if you're going to make a point, make it, if not then get on with changing, I'm hungry."

"I'll be naked for crying out loud!" yelped Taku loudly. "As in no clothes covering my…well it's…and…well they're not going to be covered, that's all you need to know…"

"That was as clear as mud," said DemiDevimon as he scratched his head with his wing.

"I mean naked as in no clothes; I just…" Taku blushed brightly.

"I'm your partner, Taku, it's not like we are going to have any secrets…plus, do you think I'm clothed?" asked DemiDevimon. The bat pulled at his fur and skin, "I'm as naked as a…really naked thing!"

"Well…that's true…" said Taku quietly. He looked down. "Just don't…you know, talk about it with the other digimon or the other guys…"

DemiDevimon nodded and Taku sat down and unfurled his towel and started to get dressed. DemiDevimon watched as the boy slipped his jeans on and then slid his arms through the silken, lavender sleeves. Taku looked down at DemiDevimon.

"That's it?" grumbled DemiDevimon, "That's what all this fuss was over?"

"What do you mean that's it?" yelped Taku loudly as he blushed.

"Well, jeesh, it wasn't that big a deal," grumbled DemiDevimon as he hopped off the bed. "I thought maybe tentacles would shoot out your back the way you were going on about it!"

"Well, I just…I'm just…pale and," The boy gulped. "And, and…well it's just…I don't think…It's just I'm old enough and certain things aren't happening…I know I look different."

"Eh, you look like the other boys without your clothes on, I really don't see you humans' obsession with looking like each other," said DemiDevimon. He started walking away, "I mean I don't want to look like Renamon, or ugh…Guilmon. Ren was in here worried about her hair not being 'full enough'. You humans wanting to be all alike is a lot like this one digimon from the past, he wanted everyone to look like him…"

"I guess you have a point huh?" said Taku with a grin.

"Of course, I always have a point," giggled DemiDevimon. The bat flew up and landed on Taku's head.

"Do you have to do that?" growled Taku as he walked forward.

"Yes!" replied DemiDevimon bluntly. "So deal with it, human!"

"Oh I'll deal with it…" Taku chuckled darkly.

The boy walked up to the door way and stopped in the middle of the door and then jumped straight up bouncing DemiDevimon's head off of the door frame. DemiDevimon wobbled back and forth before falling on the floor. The bat glared up at Taku.

"Whadya do that for?" growled the bat.

"Because you were being a brat," replied Taku as he walked past.

DemiDevimon rubbed his head and then ran after the boy.

888

"Please reconsider!" pleaded Ren as Taku walked into the kitchen.

"I have made my mind up, now eat," grumbled Sorcerymon as he walked to the kitchen sink.

"She's still at it?" asked Taku quietly to Kisho as the freshly bathed boy looked up at Ren.

"All through breakfast," replied Kisho quietly. "I can see her point, those guys back on the beach won't be very charitable to Sorcerymon…but it's something that Sorcerymon wants to do…"

"We could stay and stand up to them," said Haru quietly to Kisho. The blonde stood on the other side of the brown haired boy was watching as Sorcerymon cleaned dishes.

"I don't know…" whispered Taku quietly. "You guys didn't seem to fair so well against them the last time…"

"I didn't see you contributing to the effort any?" growled Haru under his breath.

"Well, let's just look at that then…" returned Taku as he leveled his coal like eyes on Haru. "DemiDevimon, were you, or were you not conscious last night when the bad guys attacked?"

"I believe I was unconscious…" replied DemiDevimon as he landed on Taku's head.

"So…do you think you could've contributed to the fight?" asked Taku calmly. He watched as Haru's eyes narrowed and his fists slightly clenched.

"I don't believe I could, that is unless you planned to use me as a cannon ball," replied DemiDevimon.

"Look, it's not just with the fighting!" shouted Haru. Ren and Jiro looked up at the outburst, "You have an overall crappy attitude."

"You would too, I never wanted to come here and be shot at and chased and have cryptic messages given to me by a suicidal wizard!" returned Taku loudly. His eyes shone in the soft morning light. "I just wanted to go home and lock myself in my room so I could just get away from you and your stupid friends and your stupid school with your stupid dress codes and stupid bullies and cliques and clubs and crap!"

Haru looked down. "Do you think I wanted to come here…I mean it's great and all but I wanted to rest and relax too…"

"We all did," said Kisho. "I mean well, it was summer vacation…"

"Are you saying you don't want to be here?" asked Sorcerymon quietly. The wizard was still standing in front of the sink facing away from the children. His hands were in mid-wipe of a plate.

"It's not that…" said Jiro quietly. He patted Agumon's head. "It's just…a surprise."

"Yeah, I mean it's kind of like camp," Ren smiled brightly. "I wouldn't trade in meeting Renamon for anything…, but I would really like to tell mom and dad where I am…"

"I wouldn't trade meeting DORUmon either…" said Kisho as he smiled at the purple digimon. "I mean he's neat and well, fluffy."

"I don't know how I should take that…" DORUmon looked at Kisho with a smile.

"Guilmon is great and all, but…" Haru looked at the red and black dragon. "It's so sudden; I mean we have little information about anything…Like the digivolution, what is it?"

"It's a process in which a digimon has accumulated so much energy that its current form can't contain it," Sorcerymon replied quietly, "the core program of the digimon then establishes a reflex program to re-organize the digimon so that it can contain the energy…"

"Who sent us here?" Haru looked at the wizard intently.

"That…is a question for the Order," replied the wizard promptly.

"Who is the Order?" asked Jiro quietly, his brown eyes looked up innocently at the wizard.

"That is an answer you will receive when you see them," was all Sorcerymon said quietly. He looked at Taku, "You best eat, the morning mists will be lifting soon…"

It didn't take long for Taku to snatch up a little sausage and some rice and hunker down to eat. The others continued to try and convince Sorcerymon to reconsider but the white wizard only shook his head and finally lifted his hand and told them to stop.

"I have a boat here, with an engine; it shall take you to the shore," stated Sorcerymon. The others opened their mouths to protest but the wizard sliced the air with the flat of his hand, "Now, once on the mainland I wish for you to go to a place called Toy Town, there you will meet with a growing resistance and hopefully you may be able to assist them in repelling Baronmon's forces."

"What if you get overwhelmed?" asked Ren innocently. The girl looked up at the wizard with large sad eyes.

"That is not something for which you should be worried about," said Sorcerymon as he walked towards a detailed door that led from the kitchen to the outside, "Now, grab your bags and I'll lead you to the dock."

The children sighed and stood, first the boys and then, reluctantly Ren. They walked over to a line of different colored duffel bags. Kisho lifted a red one, Haru grabbed the blue one, Jiro grabbed the green one and Taku lifted up a lavender bag. Ren slowly looked at Sorcerymon and then at her pack and lifted up the nylon, raspberry duffel and slung it over her shoulder.

"This way…" whispered Sorcerymon as ushered the children through the door.

They walked outside of the house and looked up. Thick interwoven tendrils of greenery laced their way in a green tunnel. Sorcerymon closed the door quietly behind him and then led the children down the path. It was uneasily quiet. No birds sang; nothing rustled through the foliage.

"It's so quiet," whispered Kisho quietly.

"They are surveying the area…" whispered Sorcerymon quietly, "As we speak, Coatlmon is making a flight around the lake…"

"Then how are supposed to get across the lake…they'll see us," Haru hissed at Sorcerymon as they walked along the path.

"That is what this is for," whispered Sorcerymon. Her pulled his hands from his cape and lifted a large quart crystal up. "This crystal shall produce a refraction bubble around the boat, making you very much invisible to those outside the bubble, with any luck they won't know you have left until after you've gotten to mainland."

"Awesome," whispered Kisho as he looked at the crystal.

"Yes, it is quite an awe-inspiring bit of work, but you can ogle it later," Sorcerymon put the crystal in Kisho's hands, "We have to get you to the boat. It's not much farther."

The wizard proceeded down the path. The soft grassy path curled around a bush and there, at the end of the vine tunnel was a grey boat. It was easily big enough to carry the ten destined. Sorcerymon smiled quietly and walked up to the dock. He looked up and pulled a grayish blue hand out of his glove, licked his finger and pointed it to the sky.

"Well?" Kisho looked at the wizard.

"No one is coming in this direction," responded the wizard, "I sense them but they are still on the other side of the island, not out of ear shot of the boat starting though, so you must be fast. I'll keep them as busy as I can." The wizard handed Renamon a ring with a key on it, "You use these to start the boat, just start it and go; the crystal should mask you."

Renamon nodded and with Sorcerymon helped the kids on the boats. He then untied the moorings of the boat. Agumon and Guilmon helped pass out life preservers to the children. DORUmon looked over the edge of the boat with suspicion.

"Renamon, are you sure there isn't anymore evil digimon down there?" asked the lavender, furred digimon quietly.

"Don't worry, I took care of Archelomon, and no there is nothing else in this lake but fish," replied Renamon as she slid the key into the ignition.

The children turned to find Sorcerymon already gone. Renamon turned the key and the boat's engine roared to life. The collective crew of the craft winced at the loud noise.

"ACK!" yelped Kisho as he looked at the crystal, "Sorcerymon never told us how to activate the crystal!"

Jiro's head darted about, "Look, everything looks funny."

"What is it?" Ren asked as she put her hand out to the strange wavy scenery.

"It must be the refraction dome," whispered Haru. "It's affecting our vision of the outside the same way it's making us invisible."

"Renamon, I'd start pushing the gas pedal," called Taku as he looked up and saw smoke rolling up from the tree-line of the island.

The engine growled as the boat lurched forward. They were on their way. Behind them the sounds of explosions crashed through the atmosphere.

888

"Ugh, they have to be here," growled FlaWizardmon as he stomped over the beachhead of the island. He unsheathed one of his matchsticks and flicked to the ground causing the sand to melt and reform as glass.

"I've done several flybys," growled Coatlmon as the large amphitere hovered over the ground, "They have yet to depart."

"Or maybe they already have," Harpymon said as she hovered behind FlaWizardmon.

"No, we'd have known," said Puttimon. The green digimon looked up at the cabin in the middle of the island. "He's shielding them from us."

"Even if he is, they can't stay there forever!" said FlyBeemon. The red insect buzzed forward and looked at the cabin, "I say we blast them out of there."

Another blast of fire and glass signified an increasing level of annoyance from FlaWizardmon, "We have waited too long! They'll have gone by now!"

"Excuse me…" said a simple voice. The five members of Task Force Alpha looked up in shock. A white wizard was standing in front of them. "Would you please stop turning my beach into glass, it greatly devalues the property."

"Sorcerymon," growled the five digimon in unison, "Where are the humans?"

"The what?" Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes and made a quizzical face, "I'm sorry, my old age, and my hearing have gone all fliberdyflap; I thought you said 'Where's the humans?'."

"We did," growled the five digimon.

"Well, that's just silly, I don't take care of humans," replied Sorcerymon innocently, "I think you got the wrong address, are you sure you have the right house, I know it can be hard to get the proper addresses in a time of…"

Sorcerymon was cut off as FlaWizardmon rushed forward and pressed a matchstick against the white wizard's throat, "We don't have time for your little games, Sorcerymon, now tell us where the children are."

"I have no idea," replied Sorcerymon sternly, "Frankly I don't think I like your tone of voice…"

"You don't have to like my tone of voice," growled FlaWizardmon.

"On the contrary…" whispered Sorcerymon. His blue eyes flashed brightly and he swept his leg around knocking the flame wizard off balance and then punched the fiery fiend in the face sending the fire digimon staggering back. "I think I should at least accept your tone of voice."

Sorcerymon spun his staff in his hand and then held it diagonally across his chest, "Well, are you guys going to get off my property or will I have to get persuasive?"

"Tell us where they are?" growled Harpymon loudly. She brandished her talons and formed a ball of wind in the palm of her hand. "Or else!"

"Or else what?" asked Sorcerymon. His eyes were narrowed and his hands gripped his staff tightly.

"This!" Puttimon pointed a single finger forward. A bead of lavender energy formed at the tip, "Heartner Beam!"

The purple beam shot forward like a dart. Sorcerymon pushed his staff forward and a wave of energy smashed the beam like an accordion sending back at the attacker in one pile of purple. Puttimon skidded across the sand and ended up on the edge of the lake.

Sorcerymon then lifted a hand up and five pillars of swirling water rose up from the lake. They formed into giant hands and grabbed up the five attackers and took them out to open water. The white wizard then dropped his hand and the spinning pillars released their captives. Task Force Alpha soon found themselves splashing in the lake.

Coatlmon was the first to lift himself from the water, followed by Puttimon and FlyBeemon. FlaWizardmon had to be assisted by Harpymon to escape the watery depths. The five armored digimon rushed forward only to smack into a huge dome of energy, like mosquitoes hitting a windshield.

"You and the humans can hide in there, but you can't keep those humans safe forever!" shrieked Harpymon.

"That is…" said Puttimon quietly, "if the humans are even in the cabin! Coatlmon, go to the other side of the lake!"

The green and white, winged snake nodded and curled around and flew. Coatlmon flapped once before bouncing its snout against a barrier. The dragon growled angrily and turned to fly in the other direction only to find he ran into another barrier. The dragon looked down at Sorcerymon. The wizard's hands kept shifting.

"Let us through wizard!" shouted FlyBeemon. "Don't make us break this barrier!" The fly's wings started to hum loudly as sparks of electricity trickled from the insect's wing membranes and into its armored hands. "SPARK FLY!"

Rivers of lightning snaked over the surface of the barrier, revealing a generally oval shaped energy field around the five digimon. The barrier shifted slightly to contain the blast but nothing permanent was done.

"Magical Ignition!" growled FlaWizardmon as he unsheathed both matchsticks and sliced them in a cross releasing an 'X' shaped firestorm. Again the barrier wobbled but wouldn't fall down.

"This won't work," growled Puttimon as he hovered to the periphery of the barrier. "We must work together in order to break this barrier…" Puttimon drifted back and lifted his finger, "I'll say Veemon, Veemon, Flamedramon, we fire when I say Flamedramon, ok?"

"Right!" growled the other four.

"Ok," Puttimon charged up his finger tip, "Veemon…" FlaWizardmon's matchsticks glowed with blue flame. "Veemon…" Coatlmon and Harpymon gathered their wind attacks, "Flame…" FlyBeemon charged his wings with electricity, "Dramon!"

"Fire Cloud!"

"Wind Seeker!"

"Fossil Wind!"

"Spark Fly!"

"Heartner Beam!" Puttimon smirked as his lavender beam of energy merged with the spirals of wind, lightning and flames.

The barrier bowed and then snapped; the excess energy flew towards Sorcerymon. The white wizard leapt back hovering over the ground as the attacks exploded into the sand. Sorcerymon looked up and growled and opened his hand.

Spirals of water shot up from the lake, but the Armored digimon weaved between the shafts of liquid and turned attacking them. Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes and concentrated harder. The water shafts reformed into a large beast and it slammed its fists around in sweeping attacks on the group of Armored digimon.

"Pathetic…it's just the same trick over and over again," growled FlaWizardmon. He brandished his matchsticks and twirled them in his hands. "Magical Ignition!"

A blast of flames shot through the water beast. The creature's midsection evaporated, leaving a wave of steam behind. The water beast collapsed back into the lake. The five digimon loomed in the air above Sorcerymon.

"Give up the children…" growled Puttimon loudly. He pointed his glowing finger at Sorcerymon, "I really don't want to…"

"Then don't!" shouted Sorcerymon.

"Sorry…" Puttimon smirked quietly, "This finger is possessed."

The bead of light around Puttimon's finger lanced forward. Sorcerymon shot his hand up but the barrier formed crushed under the beam and Sorcerymon was sent spiraling back. Seconds later Sorcerymon felt claws, fists and slashes of energy cutting across him. Sorcerymon crashed on the ground. His blue eyes looked up. The five of them were chuckling over him.

"Coatlmon…go, find them," rasped FlaWizardmon. He pointed to the far side of the island. "And then do away with them."

The amphitere nodded and turned to fly away.

"No…" gasped Sorcerymon as he stood up. "Crystal Ball!"

A burst of white energy cracked Coatlmon in the head. The dragon growled and shook its head as Sorcerymon took the air. He was mumbling under his breath as light glimmered over his figure.

"He's healing himself!" shouted FlaWizardmon loudly. "Get him!"

888

"What's that?" Jiro pointed up at the sky. A wavy blue light appeared in the sky.

"I can't tell," whispered Kisho as he visored his eyes. "Stupid refraction…"

"I don't know what the blue thing is but I'll give you three guesses what those are!" yelped Agumon as he pointed up at a red burst, a yellow burst, a white burst and a green burst.

"Those digimon…" whispered the children collectively.

"Not only that but we got company…" Taku pointed up. A large form was gliding over the island.

"Cut the engines…" yelped Kisho as he scrambled forward. "He'll hear us. Everyone quiet."

The dragon flew over the heads of the children growling as he flew past them and towards the coast. The large, winged serpent then looped back around for a second pass.

After he flew over the digi-destined looked up at the sky. The red, green, white and yellow bursts were taking turns smacking the blue burst of light.

"Damn it…" growled Taku as the four bursts combined their attacks. The sky filled with a red glow.

"Uh…oh…" gulped Haru quietly. The boy looked up and pointed at the dragon. Its head turned slowly and stared at the children.

"Why do I get the feeling he can see us…?" whispered Jiro quietly.

"Probably because he can…" Haru replied as he put his arms around Jiro's chest, "The red light…it's at a different wavelength…must be causing the refraction bubble to be ineffective…Renamon…"

The engine roared on as the dragon dove for the boat.

"NO!" screamed Ren as she pointed upward. "That blue thing…is Sorcerymon!" The children looked up. The blue bauble of light started to fall from the sky with the other four lights chasing after it firing blasts of energy.

"They're pulverizing him…" Jiro looked up at his brother.

"Keep going," whispered Haru. "He is doing this so we can get away…"

"Renamon stop now, turn us around now!" shouted Kisho loudly. The others looked at him in surprise.

"Kisho he doesn't…" started Haru.

"I don't care, I'm not letting them destroy him!" returned the brown haired boy. He grabbed the pack Sorcerymon had made for him. He unzipped it and rummaged around and pulled out a green, rubber loop of elastic attached to a pair of thick lenses. Kisho pulled the band back and slipped over his head he pulled the lenses forward to let his bangs free and let go. Kisho winced as the band snapped on his forehead, "I knew I saw them in here." Kisho coughed and put on a determined face, "We're going back; we're going to save him now!"

"What about the snake?" Taku yelped as the black haired boy flung his thumb back at the large, winged serpent chasing them.

"Fossil Wind!" gasped the dragon as it opened its mouth releasing a spiral of smoke.

"All digimon to the rear," called Kisho suddenly, "Fire at will! Mr. Yoshida, take the wheel!"

"Have you gone crackers!" yelped Jiro. Kisho looked at the young boy, smiled and gave the boy two thumbs up.

"We'll save ya Sorcerymon," smiled Kisho.

"Uh, I thought you got seasick," murmured Ren behind Kisho's back.

"This…isn't the sea now is it?" replied Kisho with a smile.

The destined digimon fired off a round of attacks. The large dragon took most of them head and slowed down as the boat swerved around in the water and headed back for the island.

"Fossil Wind!" snarled the dragon as he twisted around to catch the boat. Taku swerved as the gust of smoke sliced across the water's surface turning it to stones that sank to the lake's bottom.

"Metal Cannon!" growled DORUmon as a metal ball bearing struck one of the dragon's wings.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon releasing a fire ball in the dragon's face.

"Pyro Sphere!" the ball of condensed heat struck the amphitere on the chin.

"Demi Dart!" a single needle shot forward and implanted itself in the dragon's head.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" thousands of little glowing darts shot along the dragon's body.

"Who is this guy anyways?" asked Ren as the dragon skittered across the water but retained flight and continued the pursuit.

"Coatlmon, one of the members of Task Force Alpha, he was one of the big guys that attacked Plainsville," growled Renamon. "It was a massacre…"

"Then let's pay back the debt," shouted Haru loudly. He held up his digivice. "Ready Guilmon?"

"Ready when you are, partner," called the red and black dragon with a smile.

"Not on the boat!" yelped Kisho. "Can't you do it in mid-jump?"

"Ok…" The dragon hopped up on the railing, swung its arms and leapt.

"GUILMON!" yelped Haru as the dragon started to fall towards the water.

"Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!" Large jets exploded into action as the yellow feet of the cyborg dragon skimmed the water.

The large raptor digimon crashed his metal chassis into the white armor of the amphitere. Raptordramon leveled a metal fist into Coatlmon's torso and fell back as the dragon dropped into the water. Raptordramon turned to join the boat when the white and green dragon erupted from the lake roaring like mad.

The serpent rammed Raptordramon and started to open his mouth.

"Raptordramon, watch out!" shouted Haru.

"DORUmon go help him!" called Kisho loudly. The goggle wearing, brown haired boy lifted his digivice.

"Uh…" DORUmon gulped and looked at the water that was rushing past them. "Ok…" DORUmon perched himself on rail and leapt. "DORUmon, oh please work… digivolve to….DORUgamon!" Long black wings flapped hastily as the large grey furred creature tucked its toes up from the water.

"I should go too," said Renamon as the fox scrambled up to the railing. "Ren, are you ready?" The girl nodded and held up her device. Renamon dove into the water, "Renamon digivolve to Ebidramon! Twin Neptune!" the lobster exploded from the surface unleashing a barrage of aqua-bullets from her claws. Raptordramon swept around grabbing Coatlmon and snagging the serpent's axe like tail and swung him around, tossing him into the air.

"Power Metal!" roared DORUgamon as he fired a golden blast of metal at the winged beast.

"Ambush Crunch!" growled Raptordramon as a pair of black smiley missiles whistled up to the dragon and exploded.

The dragon twirled to down towards the water, deleting in the process.

"Now, let's go!" growled Ebidramon as she swam after the boat. DORUgamon and Raptordramon flew behind her.

888

Sorcerymon skidded across the ground. A large burn mark bubbled on his cheek. He winced and looked up. FlaWizardmon's flaming matchstick was poised to strike again. Harpymon and Puttimon hovered behind him with bemused smirks on their faces.

"Spark Fly!" streamers of lightning shot through Sorcerymon's body. FlyBeemon buzzed above the wizard's head. "Had enough?"

"I…won't go down to the likes of you," growled Sorcerymon as he turned to get to his feet.

"Nuh uh…" FlaWizardmon leapt forward swinging his matchstick like a bat and slamming the flaming end into Sorcerymon's chest. "That wasn't the right answer!"

The white wizard rolled across the ground. Sorcerymon held his chest with one hand and tried to lift himself with the other. One of his eyes was bleeding to the point he couldn't see. Burns seared their presence all over his body. Cuts sliced up and down his arms and legs.

"This is over," announced Puttimon. The long ears on top of the rubbery armored digimon lifted and the heart shaped arrow heads at the ends of the ears glowed. "It's a shame that you wouldn't give up those children, now we're going to have to be rough on them…"

"You won't finish me today…" gasped Sorcerymon.

"Don't count on it," scoffed Harpymon. She opened her mouth. "Silent…"

"Crash Charge!" a blast of blue lightning sliced between the Armored Digimon and Sorcerymon. As the smoke cleared a yellow, metallic dinosaur settled on the ground.

"So, you want round two, eh?" chuckled Puttimon. The plush digimon sneered as his ears flashed forward, "Talon Arrow!"

Raptordramon groaned as the sharp arrowed heads struck across his metal chassis. A black blue shot down slamming Puttimon. A pair of black wings flapped and the creature turned. Its golden eyes glowed like the upside down triangle between its eyes.

"Awe…" chuckled Harpymon. The bird woman lifted its claws, "These little beasts are saving him…"

"Twin Neptune!" Spitfire blasts of water slammed into the side of the hawk woman. Ebidramon scuttled quickly up the beach her claws glowing brightly, "Lobster Step!" She sent the claws slamming into the sand sending a shockwave blistering towards Harpymon.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon as a fire ball shot over Sorcerymon's head and struck the red insect that hovered there.

"Demi Dart!" a black needle zoomed overhead. FlaWizardmon leapt back as the dart crashed into the ground.

"Rookies!" growled the red wizard. "Fire…"

Raptordramon's tail whipped sideways swatting FlaWizardmon into the bush. "Oops, didn't see you there."

"Silent Symphony!" an aural blast shot from where the sand had covered Harpymon. The white bird woman shot into the sky.

"Heartner Beam!" a lavender blast fired from the lake striking DORUgamon and causing the large, furred dragon to come crashing into the ground.

"SPARK FLY!" a blaze of lightning rained down on Agumon and DemiDevimon sending the two Rookies retreating back up the beach.

Sorcerymon struggled to his knees. The Armored Digimon scrambled to attack the newcomers. The white wizard wobbled to his feet balancing on his staff, but the rod shattered and he started forward. Someone caught him from behind.

"You ok?" Sorcerymon looked wearily at the coal eyes that inspected him.

"I need to rest a little…" whispered Sorcerymon, "My powers, I can heal myself but I need time to chant the spell…"

"You've got it then," said the boy quietly as he bore Sorcerymon's weight.

"Taku…where are the others?" asked the wizard, "They're here."

The boy pointed out a fuzzy group of forms on the edge of the bushes. Taku carried the wizard up the beach to the group.

"Sorcerymon!" yelped the voice of Ren.

"There going to get it," growled Kisho loudly as he clenched his fist.

"They're going down," reiterated Haru.

"Are you ok, Sorcerymon," a small child was at the white wizard's side.

"Just need time to rest," whispered Sorcerymon as he closed his eyes and started to chant.

DORUgamon and Raptordramon took the air after Harpymon and Puttimon. Agumon and DemiDevimon were chasing down FlyBeemon and Ebidramon and FlaWizardmon were trading blows.

"Power Metal!" roared DORUgamon as he whirled around and fired a golden blast at Harpymon.

"Wind Seeker!" the winged witch cupped her hand and fired a twisting blast of wind. The two attacks exploded against each other sending their owners reeling backward.

"Ambush Crunch!" Raptordramon fired a volley of missiles as Puttimon whirled around pointing his finger and firing beams of energy.

Ebidramon was covering FlaWizardmon with a barrage of water pellets as the red wizard shielded himself with a wall of fire. Agumon and DemiDevimon tag teamed on FlyBeemon. The blue bat dove down ramming the insect and then Agumon leapt upwards tackling the bee. Agumon sent a point blank blast of fire onto the back of the bee's head. The insect squirmed free and pushed Agumon off of him. DemiDevimon dove down firing rounds of filled syringes at the insect.

"Spark Fly!" growled the insect sending the two rookies flying backward. The red bug turned and buzzed upward.

DORUgamon slammed his fist down on Harpymon. The white bird crashed to the ground as Fly Beemon rose to challenge DORUgamon. Harpymon was about to turn and attack with her Silent Symphony when a black syringe flew across the beach and imbedded itself into the wing of the woman. She screeched horribly as she watched the black liquid force itself into her arm. She turned. DemiDevimon was flapping his wings and a second syringe was in his crimson claws. Agumon was growling underneath the bat.

"Fools!" shrieked the woman. Seconds later Agumon was laid out on the sand and DemiDevimon was on the ground looking up at the large foot talons of Harpymon. "I'm going to slice you into a thousand pieces."

"Agumon!" yelped Jiro he made to run but Haru grasped the boy around the chest and held him back.

"No…" Taku whispered. Sorcerymon looked at the boy. His eyes were wavering and if the wizard wasn't mistaken there were some pretears in his eyes. "DemiDevimon…"

The boy searched around him and after finding a large tree branch rushed forward across the sand. Harpymon's back was to the boy as he came screaming up behind her. The woman turned and got smacked in the face with the tree limb. She fell to the ground and staggered.

Her eyes narrowed, "Partner like Digimon, never knowing when they are out matched…" Harpymon leapt at Taku with her claws drawn. "I think I'll slice you up first, human then your partner!"

"TAKU!" screamed DemiDevimon. Taku fell to the ground as the bird woman raged towards him. The bat suddenly heard a horrible screeching noise in his ears as his body burned. Harpymon swept past him and DemiDevimon snarled and shot forward, "DemiDevimon digivolve to…" A pair of muscular arms swiped forward smacking the bird woman away. Large, leathery wings unfurled and a horned head appeared. "…ExVeemon!"

Harpymon looked up in shock as the clawed hands grabbed her up by the front of her armor and tossed her down the beach. The dragon looked at Taku and smiled slightly.

"You digivolved!" gasped the boy.

"Well, duh," chuckled ExVeemon. His muscular body was colored in shades of grey and a single horn rose from his snout. The dragon turned his head and saw Harpymon rising into the air. "Back to work!" The dragon flapped his wings and flew toward Harpymon, "Hey, wind witch…eat this!" A tattoo of a pair of crossed swords on ExVeemon's chest glowed brightly, "V Laser!"

A large 'X' shaped beam shot from the dragon's chest. Harpymon screeched as the laser sliced through her. The woman looked down at the scorches on her chest and body and then her eyes went dull and she exploded into dust.

"Yeah you got her!" shouted Taku loudly.

"HARPYMON!" screamed FlaWizardmon.

The red digimon exploded forward. Flames covered his body. Ebidramon slammed her claws in front of the wizard but he cut through the shock wave with his matchsticks. ExVeemon shot past Ebidramon his fists clenched. The wizard roared loudly and punched the dragon across the chops sending ExVeemon rolling backward on the sand. FlaWizardmon's eyes flashed bright red and he lifted his matchsticks up, pointing them at ExVeemon.

"Lobster Step!" Snarled Ebidramon as she dropped a claw down, but the wizard merely lifted a single matchstick to parry the claw.

"You killed her…you will pay," growled FlaWizardmon. He snarled and a shock wave from the matchstick holding Ebidramon sent the crustacean skidding backward as FlaWizardmon dove for ExVeemon.

"Aquarius FILL!" Sorcerymon was heaving and holding his arm up with his other hand. His body seemed to throb with aches. Blue light flooded FlaWizardmon. The red wizard, now frozen in azure light snarled. FlaWizardmon grunted quietly. "ExVeemon, now, strike now."

ExVeemon rose up and crossed his arms. "V Laser!" FlaWizardmon screamed as the laser pushed him across the sand. Ebidramon rose up behind the stunned wizard.

"Lobster Step!" a glowing claw crushed the red wizard and it dissolved into dust.

The sky erupted as Raptordramon and DORUgamon swept about the sky firing at Puttimon and FlyBeemon. A burst of Raptordramon's Crash Charge snagged FlyBeemon's wings sending the insect tumbling towards the ground.

"Power Metal!" DORUgamon blasted a golden ball at Puttimon.

Puttimon swept past and his ears shot around slapping the ball further towards the ground. The golden blast exploded around FlyBeemon. Puttimon's eyes widened.

"You're all alone," announced DORUgamon. Raptordramon hovered next to him. ExVeemon glided behind Puttimon and Ebidramon had her claws ready to fire on the little digimon.

"Not exactly," growled the plush digimon. "I may not have my allies here, but I still have Lord Baronmon!" Puttimon then shot to one side and the destined digimon scrambled to target the spry little imp. "I'll be back; you just watch, I'll be back with a stronger force than before!"

The imp opened his hands and a flash of green light exploded through the air blinding everyone. The digimon shook their heads but by the time the emerald blaze faded Puttimon was gone.

888

After the battle the children and Sorcerymon crossed the lake to the mainland. The children helped Sorcerymon on shore and then helped him lay down.

"We can't leave you like this," said Ren as she touched Sorcerymon's cheek with a wet handkerchief.

Sorcerymon winced and held up his hand, "I'll be fine; I'm leaving this lake…by the time they find me I'll have had a proper amount of time to heal."

"I wish you'd come with us," said Kisho. The brown hair sat next to DORUmon.

"No, we'll be a smaller target on our own," replied Sorcerymon. "You have to get to Toy Town. They need your help, they need your hope."

The children nodded. Ren looked up, "But what about you? I don't think I want to leave you in this condition…they could…"

Sorcerymon lifted his hand, "Trust me I have been through worse than this."

"But…" Ren started.

Renamon laid her hand on Ren's shoulder. "There is no arguing with him," The fox looked up at the sky. "We will go after we eat."

"Not I," said Sorcerymon. The wizard stood slowly and started to walk, "I will see you children much later; you must never forget that we are placing a lot of hope on you."

"Thanks, like we needed that stress on us," grumbled Taku loudly.

"Don't think of it as stress, think of it as motivation," replied Sorcerymon. He tapped his hat, "If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." With that Sorcerymon turned and disappeared into bushes.

"He is probably the wisest creature I have ever met," whispered Haru as he watched the branches of the bushes slowly halt their rustling.

"Then why did he act like an idiot?" asked Taku with a growl.

"Sometimes wisdom is not seen by those, who are not yet enlightened," said Renamon as she walked towards a large stone to hunt for mussels.

**888**

**AN: Double the normal chapter; why? Because I couldn't find a good place to cut it off and leave a cliff hanger so I just went, 'oh fudge it we'll do it all.'**

**Alforce: Yes, he is warming up but he still has fussings. The elemental balance here is not so much but, a lack of water digimon makes certain enemies maybe too strong, because they can escape into watery depths and be free from assault. I guess it is lazy of me to make the evolution for such a reason but then again, it does open one's eyes to the true potential of the evolution.**

**Miss Oblong: Oh man, such a large review how nice :) …Well as to the prologue, that's more of a machination of fluff and stuff for me, I live by the idea that if you write you should be allowed to indulge yourself once in a while, you'll see that in some of the jokes, situations and such that I make, and the prologue does become pertinent if you read my two other stories. I always love villains, sometimes to the point that it can be detrimental. I always feel so bad when I see Myotismon get impaled or see Lucemon get his just desserts, though I don't have much feeling for the D-Reaper…but that's because the D-Reaper isn't that kind of villain.**

**As to there only being one girl. I'm trying to follow the human demographics that were presented by digimon, though I am suspect of the digimon, because the presented sillouhette of the first digi-destined was just a copy of Tai, Matt, Tk, Izzy and Sora with their partners so it's up to interpretation if Gennai was only showing a similarity or if that is actually what happened… **

**Renamon and Ren's relationship, I picture as being sort of a mirror image of Rika's and Renamon's, in that they look the same but are actually opposite. Haru, unintentionally became a bit of an annoyance, and Kisho I see as being rather Takato-ish or even more subdued, though in this chapter he is very assertive. Jiro, I have trouble with small children, and I hope to flesh him out soon. The thing is that it is hard to flesh out some of the more submissive characters when they are with the more flamboyant characters, and well…you will just have to see.**

**I may have been slightly too overindulgent with the prologue and it probably will get a recap later on. Sorcerymon isn't evil, his mind is just slightly snapped, and his perceptions are a bit off. (I may have things build up here, but…don't know we'll see.) And Baronmon will make an appearance soon, I was going to add him at the end of this chapter but…as it already was double billed I thought it make a nice start to the next chapter. **


	8. The Down Under

**I don't own digimon**

**The Down Under**

**888**

"It was relatively simple once I gave myself the chance to look it over," said Baronmon nonchalantly to his two comrades as they descended the dank stairs.

The red cloaked wizard pushed open a heavy wooden door and they were there, the grand inner sanctum. The middle of the large cavernous room was occupied by that darkened sphere sitting on a large ivory pedestal. The sphere itself was attached to ooze-looking dark stand. A strange, aurora-like light glimmered in a column around the pedestal.

"So, Baronmon," asked the red cloaked digimon's apish companion, "what is the answer?"

"Soon, Sepikmon, soon," The blue faced digimon smirked. He turned slightly to the lion blossom priestess, "Kabukimon, when will our guests arrive?"

"Soon, Baronmon, they should be at the temple's front gates now," replied Kabukimon with a slight bow. As if on cue, the echo of heavy doors being knocked upon filtered into the inner sanctum. Kabukimon's flowery head rose revealing the lion-like face, "Shall I, escort them here?"

"Of course, of course," replied Baronmon as he turned to look at the large dark object. The ape shaman, Sepikmon, walked behind the red caped baron as he proceeded towards the pedestal. Baronmon turned slightly, "They say that this dark digimental's power is uncontrollable and is cursed with a great curse against anyone who attempts to use it."

"Is this not the very thing that turned the Great Savior into the Malevolent Traitor?" asked Sepikmon quietly.

"They say that upon its conception this digimental caused the Great One to be corrupted by fear, hatred and hunger for power," said Baronmon quietly, "but he was never allowed to touch it…Even with all of his might he was never able to break the seal; but I shall, and prove that I am the greatest being on this world!"

"Do you not fear destruction? It is cursed, after all," Sepikmon whispered, as he peered at the digimental. "The one who made this was destroyed by the Great One for her act of treachery."

"The Great One is not here anymore, and the Founders are no longer in this place," replied Baronmon with a venomous grin. "We shall harness the power of this digimental and finally end the senseless struggling of the rebels and stop the Digi-destined from completing their task."

"We're here!" called a group of digimon as the passed through the entryway into the sanctum.

The first was a pink sheep with rocket launchers on its back named Sheepmon. Behind the rabbit was a yellow frog with a leaf umbrella named Frogmon. A blue and white porcupine with an icy back, named Togemogumon, pushed past the first two. Behind the porcupine was a butterfly with honey colored armored, she was Butterflymon. Behind the beautiful butterfly was an ugly, ungainly creature; it had a dolphin-like head and a body like a seal, but he had flipper like legs and arms. A lifejacket rested on its chest and a life preserver surrounded his waist, this was Orcamon. A white beast walked forward like a gorilla, it had long forearms and large white wings, this beast was Gargoylemon and resting on his head was the black and red, bat digimon, Pipismon. The room's temperature started to rise as a large, flaming amphibian crawled down the stairs. The flaming salamander was named Salamandermon and everyone cleared a path for its flaming body.

"Where is Kangaroomon?" growled Baronmon loudly.

The group of digimon shuddered under the angry glare of Baronmon. Sheepmon stepped forward, "Well we went to get him and well…"

Butterflymon hovered forward, "He was destroyed whilst on patrol."

Baronmon growled. His eyes narrowed. "Then this was all for naught…"

"Baronmon!" Kabukimon was coming down the stairs, "I have some bad news!"

The priestess stopped and turned extending her hand. A green glove fell forward, followed by a staggering grey furred and rubbery armored Puttimon. The little digimon was heaving in soft hisses.

"Puttimon…" Baronmon swept past the other digimon and moved up the stairs to grab up the green, armored digimon. "What happened?"

"They…they were very powerful, more powerful than we thought," whispered the plush digimon. "My companions they took them…" Puttimon looked into the sanctum, "what's going on here? If I had these guys join me…I could beat them!"

Baronmon growled. The baron narrowed his eyes, glaring at the plush digimon. A thought shot through Baronmon's head. He looked at Puttimon again and then a smile came across his face. Baronmon gently put Puttimon down. "Puttimon, you were created through the Digimental of Kindness weren't you?"

"Yes, Baronmon, I was, but I don't see how that's…" started Puttimon but Baronmon's leather hand on the plush digimon's lips.

"Would you like to make that little disappointment of losing Taskforce Alpha disappear from my mind?" asked Baronmon. The baron's gnarled teeth were exposed as his blue face grinned. Puttimon nodded slowly. Baronmon smiled with glee, "Just perfect, come, and stand here on this tile shaped like a flower." Baronmon led Puttimon to the front of the pedestal. "Orcamon, stand on the cross. Sheepmon, stand on the comet. Gargoylemon, stand upon the star. Salamandermon, curl yourself around the sun. Butterflymon, get yourself on that tile with the intertwining circles. Pipismon, land yourself on that heart. You, porcupine, get on get yourself on that image of a galactic spiral and finally, Frogmon, get on the tear drop."

"Now what?" the digimon asked as they looked up at Baronmon after shuffling around to their positions that circled the pedestal.

"Sepikmon…" Baronmon took a step back and let the ape shaman step forward with his boomerang raised.

"Split Boomerang!" the weapon flew forward snapping in two.

The two boomerangs flew in opposite directions slicing their way around the pedestal and cutting through the digimon in the circle. The nine armored creatures screeched in surprise and pain as they looked up at Baronmon. The twin boomerangs flashed past the armored digimons' vision as they returned to their owner.

"Why, Baronmon?" Pipismon gasped, as the bat slowly dissolved, "We were allies…"

"I needed a way to break the seal, and I figured it out," replied Baronmon quietly. He lifted his hand as the data started to escape the sanctum, "Great spirits of the digimentals hear my call!" the data halted and swirled above Baronmon. "Go forth, and crush that seal and bring forth the power of the dark digimental!"

The data particles condensed and the streamed towards the barrier, ramming it. The aurora-like glow flexed and then darkened as the barrier eroded away. Baronmon smirked quietly and started forward. The digimental on the pedestal pulsed. A blast of smoke shot up around the digimental and then exploded outward. Baronmon and his remaining compatriots lifted their arms to shield their faces.

"Baronmon, what is happening?" Kabukimon growled as she walked forward through the settling smoke.

"The seal is broken, I figured it out yesterday upon fully meditating on the subject," whispered Baronmon as he walked closer to the digimental in the middle of the sanctum, "I realized that there were nine spots around the pedestal labeled with the design of each digimental and then," Baronmon pointed to the sealing. An image of the star that Gargoylemon was forced to stand on was being covered by a dark disc. "I realized, that in order to make darkness one must absorb all forms of light, I decided that in order to attain that, which even the Great One couldn't attain; I would need to bring forth a sacrifice…one that contained elements of all the enemies of the Lost One, Kurayami."

Kabukimon gasped and took a frightened step back, "You cannot think to fall into league with…the Lost One…"

Baronmon laid his hands around the dark digimental and lifted it from its pedestal, "No, I just wish to use the power that he symbolizes…"

Baronmon smiled broadly as dark energy shot up his arms. He laughed loudly as the power coursed through his veins and then his head shot forward and he looked at the digimental. It glowed with a sickly lavender color and then tentacles ripped forward piercing Baronmon's chest. The wizard digimon roared in pain as the digimental surgically inserted itself within the wizard. Baronmon dropped to his knees and then his hands. Kabukimon's thorny green arms grasped the red cloaked lord under his arms.

"Are you ok, Baronmon?" whispered Kabukimon. "Sepikmon, go, get a medic!"

"No, don't…" said Baronmon as he pulled himself up to his feet and straightened out the green robes he wore. "I am fine; the power…was a little overwhelming is all…"

"Are you sure?" asked Sepikmon. The ape shaman walked forward.

"I am fine!" shouted Baronmon as he swept around, "Now, lead me to the observatory I wish to look over my holdings!"

Kabukimon and Sepikmon looked at each other doubtfully but upon looking at the demanding look on Baronmon's face they gulped and lead their lord up the stairs.

888

Sorcerymon yanked his cloak close around himself. The darkened sky arose from the east. The wizard looked up. Beyond the flattened peak of Mount Mihirashi was the almost unseen peak of Infinity Mountain. Sorcerymon frowned.

"This is no natural storm," The wizard whispered as the wind swept around him. He pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes, "Darkness's baby has been freed from its bed, and its power has been let loose upon this world."

A frozen, heartless wind cut through the wizard's cloak and bit his skin, numbing Sorcerymon's bones. Lavender lightning ripped across the sky. The clouds spiraled around the peak of the mountain. Thunder roared loudly through the air.

"He has done what even my Lord could not do," Sorcerymon's eyes narrowed, his mind played out those events of his last moments on the mountain.

_888_

_The sounds explosions rumbled up from the deep, underground caverns that expanded the temple into Infinity Mountain. His Lord was crashing his fists against a column of light. His Lord's wings were twitching as his fists shot forward with fury._

"_YOU DID THIS!" shouted the angel loudly in rage filled sobs. The angel gasped loudly, "If you had never existed, if you had never been conceived, you god awful hell spawn, I wouldn't have had to kill her!"_

"_My Lord," He said. The angel turned suddenly. The angelic boy's eyes blazed with sapphire rage flashes of celestial lightning sliced and cut across his boyish frame. _

"_What are you doing here!" shouted the angel. He fell back slightly from his Lord's rage. _

"_I heard the noise, and I was concerned, I have been searching for Mistress Angewomon, but have yet to find her," He whispered quietly. _

"_She is dead," replied the angelic child. Lucemon clenched his fist and swung it around slamming it against the column of light. "I…had to…she disobeyed, she was going to let it live when it didn't deserve existence…it wasn't meant to exist and she defied me to protect it!"_

"_Lord Lucemon…" he gasped as he watched the trembling wings. The figure drooped down to the floor in front of the column. _

"_Assist me in breaking this barrier," whispered the angel. "I must take this digimental and destroy it; no good can come of it."_

"_The barrier's power is Founder-born, to attempt to break it would be sacrilege," he replied. He hovered forward._

"_Who do you have allegiance with?" asked Lucemon coldly. The voice was hard and seemed to cut the air like a knife. "Do you hold allegiance with me, or with the Founders…?" _

"_Lord Lucemon, I-I…" He floundered quietly. "My allegiance must be first to the Founders, we are just servants…"_

"_Servants, we can be much more, but we must crush this digimental we must break this barrier!" Lucemon's voice became angrier, more hysterical, more iced over. "Please, Wisemon, don't forsaken me also…I wish not do destroy anymore allies this day."_

"_I wish to follow you Lord Lucemon, but I cannot work against the Founders," He whispered quietly. _

"_Then I am sorry," Lucemon rose from his position and turned slowly. A tear streaked down the purple line on the angel's face, "Wisemon, please forgive me, but I cannot allow dissent in my ranks, I hope you understand…" _

"_Lord Lucemon, please!" he shouted. He lifted his hands defensively. It took everything that he had as the burning energy swept around him. The shield he produced faltered and his body burned. He let out a tortured scream as he felt his body start to melt. _

_888 _

Sorcerymon put his hand over his chest. He could feel the cross shaped scar through his clothes. "If Baronmon tries to use the power that turned my master into a monster…it will consume not just him but the entire world…I must find a way to stop him!"

The wizard tugged his cloak close to him and slunk into a hiding tree as hard, cold pellets of water fell from the sky.

888

"I thought Sorcerymon said the storm was coming out of the north!" shouted Jiro as the wind whipped up from the east. Peels of thunder cracked through air.

The wind shot around them whipping their cloaks around. The wind was cold and felt like it threatened to tear them to shreds.

"It just proves that Sorcerymon is no better at predicting the weather than anyone else," shouted Kisho as he helped Ren get through the forest brush, "We should find shelter!"

"Duh," came Taku's smart-alecky reply, as he struggled to hold onto DemiDevimon. "I'm glad Sherlock, here, is on our side!"

"He has a point," shouted Haru in reply. The blonde looked around. He had his blue cloak on and had Jiro well wrapped up with him as he proceeded forward. "There is a place!"

"You're not talking about that culvert are you?" whined Ren loudly, as she pointed to a green mound that had a huge concrete pipe sticking out of it.

"It's either that or get caught in this storm…" shouted Kisho as he walked towards it. The wind whipped around his face and had succeeded in flattening his spiked hair. "Come on, Renamon."

Kisho gently put Ren in the culvert as he stood back to let Haru, Jiro and Taku through. He then ushered Agumon, Guilmon and DORUmon in. He looked back and Renamon was still looking up at the swirling mass of black clouds that whipped around in the east.

"Renamon hurry up for crying out loud!" shouted Taku. The black haired boy watched the fox, "At least get in here so Kisho doesn't look like such an idiot with his cloak dangling around his neck!"

"HEY!" yelped Kisho as he turned and glared at Taku.

"This storm…" Renamon took a step backward, "It's not natural…"

"Natural or not, we don't want to be trapped in it!" called out Ren, "Please Renamon!"

The fox slowly turned, not really turning her head from the east and slipped into the culvert. Kisho followed her as the thunder exploded from the sky. It started with a dribble. First a few flecks of moisture then more. Lightning flashed in the sky, but it didn't light up the area but rather seemed to darken everything.

"I hope this storm passes…" groused Haru as he fussed around with his pack looking for a cracker.

"Hey guys…" Ren was looking around. "I think this thing leads somewhere…" The girl crawled a few paces and then disappeared into the darkness. "Woah…"

"What?" the boys and the digimon scrambled after her. The looked up as they came upon a staircase that led downward. "What is this…?"

"I have never seen this before," whispered Renamon as she walked up next to Ren. "It looks like an underground city…"

Pipes jutted from the caverns walls. Water spewed forth and landed down into a giant lake or pond in the middle of the cavern. Around the pond huts, buildings and docks snaked their way from the cavern's edges out into the murky looking water.

Haru took a sniff, "Ugh…it smells like sewer gas in here."

Taku looked around himself and looked up at the pipes, "Well, smart one, I'm guessing that's because those are sewer pipes…"

"Ok you two," grumbled Kisho. The boy walked past them and started descending the stairs. "Well, we might as well find out who lives in this town."

"Ew!" yelped Ren as she took dainty steps down the stairs. "This is going to be so disgusting…"

"It won't be so bad," said Taku with a grin, "I mean you don't want to poo-poo the place without seeing it first."

"Ugh," growled Haru from behind the black haired boy.

"What?" smirked Taku quietly, "It may a poopular place. We don't even know the poopulation of the town yet. It may be poopulated by very nice poople."

"Please, stop, your jokes are really not very good," Kisho said quietly as he walked some five steps in front of everyone else.

"Oh, they weren't that crappy…" chuckled Taku. The others sighed hopelessly.

The children twisted down the spiral, cement stairs coming to a planked boardwalk. The wood seemed soft and as they stepped an unpleasant smell seeped up from the planks. Ren was grumbling about the stench.

"I don't like it either," Kisho whispered as he trudged next to the girl, "but you'll get used to it.

"But I don't want to, why can't we go back up to the culvert?" asked Ren with a whine.

"If we go back we'll just get wet, or worse someone will see us," said Haru as he caught up with Kisho and Ren.

"Of course if we stay down here, we may end up stinking and wet, and there is no guarantee anyone down here is friendly," Taku commented, lifting a finger as he made his point.

"Well it doesn't seem like anyone lives down here…" whispered Jiro as he and Agumon looked about.

"Do you blame them?" Ren replied as she held her nose.

"Stop…" whispered Kisho as he held out his hand to impede the others, "I think I just saw something move…"

"Probably just a misplaced bowel…" started Taku but a soft elbow from Haru stopped him in mid-sentence.

"There!" yelped Kisho as he pointed to a small shadow sweep across the edge of a street.

"Probably just a rat," whispered Haru as he pulled away from Taku.

"RATS!" screamed Ren.

"Oh, can it," growled Taku as he held his stomach, "What's a rat going to do to you, Renamon would probably blast it before it got within ten feet of you anyways, jeesh, suck it up already."

Ren looked at Taku; her eyes wide and verging of pouring forth in tears. The boy sighed and made a quick apology before she started to cry. Kisho and DORUmon looked around dismissing the verbal tussle of their comrades. They turned a corner into an alley.

"I know what I saw," grumbled Kisho as he talked to DORUmon, "What I saw was no rat; it had these things coming out of its head." Kisho wiggled his fingers on top of his head to symbolize antennae. They turned another corner and walked along a paved street. "I know it sounds weird…but then again nothing here really would surprise me too much…"

"Huh…" DORUmon watched Kisho's fingers wiggle, "I wonder…"

"Hold it…" Kisho stopped and looked around. "Where are we?"

"I don't know…" DORUmon looked around. They were on a cement street small grey buildings surrounded them. "We turned a couple of corners; we couldn't have gone far…"

"Can you sniff the others out?" Kisho asked quickly.

"What do you think?" grimaced DORUmon as he put his hands over his snout, "even if I could I wouldn't…"

"GET OFF OF ME YOU NASTY THING!" screamed the voice of Ren. It was only a couple of blocks away. DORUmon and Kisho looked at each other and ran towards the screams, "RENAMON GET IT OFF ME!"

A poof of smoke erupted into the air. Haru shouted something about there being so many of them. Kisho skidded around the corner, followed by the bouncing feet of DORUmon. Another corner another skid and Kisho stopped. A mass of green creatures with eye stalks were swarming around the other children. Guilmon, Agumon and Renamon were covered in poop and had the creatures hanging all over them. DemiDevimon kept diving over Taku's head but volleys of poop forced the bat upwards.

"HEY!" shouted Kisho loudly. The green creatures stopped and turned in unison. The eyes on top of their stalks narrowed. Kisho gulped and looked at DORUmon, "Oh crap…"

"Crap indeed," gulped DORUmon as he watched the green creatures lift green stubs, holding pinkish swirls of poop.

Pink swirls of defecation flew at them, exploding around them. Kisho stood their stunned until one of the poop volleys crashed at his feet. The boy blinked and then looked at his partner. "DORUmon, RUN!"

Kisho and DORUmon scrambled backwards, pivoted and ran. They zigzagged jerkily as clusters of poop exploded around them. One of the globs of defecation whizzed past Kisho's ear.

"Shouldn't we fight back?" yelped DORUmon as Kisho grabbed his forepaw and yanked the purple furred digimon around a corner.

"Against that many?" Kisho cried out. "There's an entire army!"

"They're only Numemon, it's not like their tough or anything," whispered DORUmon. The digimon looked up. "Incoming!" The two partners pressed against the walls of the alley as a glob of poo shot between them.

"Ok that's enough!" shouted Kisho, "DORUmon!"

"Right…DORUmon digivolve to…" The purple furred raptor winced and grunted. "I can't do it!"

"What do you mean?" yelped Kisho as another slew of poop bombs splattered past them.

"It must be the air, it's just too noxious to allow me to digivolve!" yelped DORUmon.

"Then…" Kisho looked up. The attacking, green digimon were loading up on pink swirls. "We should circle back to the others."

"Right!" agreed DORUmon as Kisho turned and ran down the alley.

888

"I'm covered…" Ren looked down at herself, "Those little vermin covered me!" Splotches of pink excrement covered her dress and face and arms. "I feel violated…"

"Well, at least she's not shrieking anymore," Taku snickered. The black haired boy held his nose as he looked down at himself and sighed, "This is so wrong…"

"Jiro, are you ok?" Haru was kneeling next to his brother.

The small boy was blinking. He had been hit straight in the face with one of the pink poop strikes. Agumon hadn't survived the encounter much better. A pink swirl was smooshed onto the dinosaur's snout.

"What about Kisho?" Were the first words out of the boy's mouth.

"He can take care of himself…" replied Haru.

"Don't be too sure of that," called DemiDevimon from the air. A red talon was pointed forward. "Cuz here he comes, and lucky us, he's found some friends."

"RUN FOR IT!" shouted Taku loudly as he turned and scrambled and slid along the slick, poop covered boardwalk.

"Pyro Sphere!" growled Guilmon as his heat ball shot towards the mass, but seemed to disappear into the green tidal wave. Guilmon's ears drooped. "Oh crud…" The black and red dragon turned tail and ran for it.

Haru grabbed onto Jiro's wrist and ran after Guilmon; Agumon was scrambling behind him. Ren was still standing there. Her eyes seemed like they were a million miles away. Renamon appeared at Ren's side.

"Ren, we have to leave," said the fox. Renamon pulled gently at Ren's arm. The girl only slumped down on her knees.

A swirl of defecation whistled past her head, causing her brown hair to shift. The girl looked up and her eyes hardened. DORUmon and Kisho sprinted past her as a cascade of poop approached. The first poop swirl was flying right at the girl's face.

Renamon gasped. She hadn't even seen the motion. Ren's hand was outstretched and clenched the swirl of unpleasantness. Her lips moved into an aggravated sneer.

"THAT IS IT!" shouted the girl. The horde of Numemon stopped suddenly and looked at the girl. "I CAME TO THIS WORLD….AND SO FAR I'VE BEEN TACKLED, SHOT AT, SHOCKED, COVERED IN, JELLY, PEANUT BUTTER, MILK, BEEN SOAKED THROUGH AND THROUGH!" Ren was seething, venom dripped from her lips, "AND NOW I'M COVERED IN…IN…IN…"

"Oh boy…" Taku gulped quietly as he turned to watch the girl, "The shit's hit the fan…"

"RAAAAAAAARH!" Ren wheeled her arm around and through the swirl of feces in a hard fast ball that took out three of the Numemon causing the ones on top of them to cascade down.

"Ren?" Renamon leaned down next to the girl.

The girl blinked and then looked at her hand. "EWWWWW!" squealed the girl loudly causing Renamon to shut her ears tight against her head, "I touched that stuff?" The girl looked up and saw the Numemon horde in front of her and instantly scrambled backward turning and started to sprint.

"Wait!" shouted a gruff voice. The girl skidded to a stop, sliding into Haru and Jiro. The three of them nearly tumbled onto the ground. One of the green creatures slid from the horde. This one was different though. The green being had a large, orange and purple nautilus shell on its back that was curled up on itself. "You say you came to this world?" The eyestalks peered up at Ren.

"Uh huh," nodded the girl.

"They are the Destined Ones!" announced the shelled Numemon. He turned to the others, "We must welcome them to our humble abodes. They have come to assist our defeat of Baronmon!"

"Hey now!" shouted Taku loudly. The Numemon looked up at him in surprise, "You know we came down here and got slopped with filth, you sit there like we're just going to forgive you...You should've asked us before you started pelting us with poop!"

"Taku!" hissed Kisho. "Do you really need to do this now?"

"We apologize, Great Taku of the Destined," the shelled Numemon bowed low, "but you must understand we are under the umbrella of Baronmon's power, we must be very careful of who we allow in, especially since one of our greatest fighters have gone to fight in Toy Town…and ever since one of them digivolved, the patrols have been stricter."

"One of your citizens is the Monzaemon that is leading the rebellion?" Renamon walked towards the shelled digimon. "We have been asked to go there to assist them, how did he get there?"

"We sent a detachment there three or four days ago," replied the shelled Numemon. "Our weakness against the sunlight makes it imperative that we travel underground, so I suspect he took the sewers like the others."

"Karatsuki Numemon, please, you must take us to Toy Town, is it far?" DORUmon implored as he walked forward.

"The town is not far," said the shelled Numemon, "about half a day's travel, through the sewers, but it is already coming on evening."

"We don't care, we wish to get there as soon as possible," shouted Haru loudly.

"I will then take you," whispered Karatsuki Numemon.

"See, everything worked out just fine!" cheered Kisho with a smile.

"So says the guy who isn't covered in crap!" snarled Taku as a globule of dung dropped from his bangs.

"I'd like to take twenty bathes," whimpered Ren as she looked at herself. "It's everywhere…"

"I am deeply sorry," Karatsuki Numemon bowed again. "We just didn't think we could trust you."

"Don't worry about it," said Jiro. The others looked at the boy a little more than surprised, "What? It's not their fault that they are scared; it's Baronmon's, right? So really, our getting covered in poop is Baronmon's fault."

"You know…" Haru put his fingers on his chin slightly, "He has a point."

"I just want to know if there is a place where I can get this cleaned off of me, and where I can get changed into something that doesn't smell like a backed up toilet!" Taku growled as he stomped toward Karatsuki Numemon, "I don't suppose there is any fresh water down here is there?"

"Well, not really," gulped the shelled digimon. "We Numemon aren't exactly what you would call a clean race…"

"Oh really, I wouldn't have guessed," sniped Taku loudly. "Fine, then what are we supposed to do?"

"Once we reach Toy Town I'm sure we can get a bath," said Haru quietly.

"You want to smell like this for half a day?" yelped Ren.

"Look, I don't like this either," said Kisho. The others glared at him. "What? Just because I'm not covered doesn't mean I can't smell!" Suddenly clumps of poop slammed into Kisho's face as the other children picked up the defecation and threw it at him. Kisho grumbled and wiped his face off, "Oh real mature…"

"We could wash in the rain," yipped Jiro as the little light popped on in his head, "It won't be much but…"

"It works for me," said Taku as he walked past the others and started up the spiral stairs towards the culvert.

"And if we get caught?" asked Haru.

"Then we'll get caught clean," returned Taku without turning around.

"But…" Haru looked around him; the others were going after Taku.

"Ren, do you wish to bathe with the boys?" asked Renamon quizzically.

"No, we'll find a nice secluded place away from them," replied the girl in an empty voice. She was hugging herself and her head was down.

The storm was relatively calm when they reached the culvert. It was still raining but the lightning and thunder had stopped. The sky was still dark and the wind still had a tendency to blow the wrong way.

"Ren and I will find a place wash, the rest of you stay near the culvert, I think it would be wise if we meet back here once we're done," Renamon said as she gently led Ren into the forest.

"Ok, I'm going this way," Taku said quietly, "Come on DemiDevimon." The bat grumbled but followed his partner out into the storm.

"I think I'll just stay here, I only got my face covered," Kisho announced as he rummaged around in the pack that Sorcerymon gave them, "I wonder if he packed any wet wipes or soap or anything…"

"Jiro and I will go this way, Guilmon says he smells fresh water," called out Haru as he and Jiro, with Guilmon and Agumon, walked out into the forest.

"See, I knew I had some!" Kisho smiled to himself and pulled out a bar of white soap. "Now to find a wash rag…eh forget it…" Kisho handed the soap to DORUmon and then cupped his hands catching the rain in his palms. "DORUmon, could you give me the soap…"

The fox-raptor hopped forward and handed the soap to the brown haired boy. He rubbed his hands around the soap making a fluffy lather. Kisho then handed the soap back to DORUmon and then rubbed the lather all over his face. He then walked out into the rain and wiped his hands off on his pants and rubbed his face, letting the falling rain water do most of the work of removing the soap. Kisho shook his head. His soak hair wilted over his eyes and flung water all over. The boy then walked over to DORUmon and pushed the digimon out into the rain.

"What are you doing!" yelped the digimon.

"May as well clean you too, while we're at it!" replied Kisho as he snatched the soap from DORUmon and rubbed all over the purple furred digimon.

The lather bloomed around the fur and soon enough DORUmon was almost engulfed by lather bubbles. Kisho backed away and let the rain rinse DORUmon off. The fox raptor shook whipping soapy water everywhere. DORUmon's tail dropped under its own weight.

"Well we're clean…" smiled Kisho as he looked at the purple digimon. "See everything works out for the best…let's get out of the rain."

"I don't see why, we're soaked to the bone," replied DORUmon as he sneezed.

"Well I'd like to change into some dry clothes," Kisho turned and walked back to the culvert and hastily slipped out of his soaked clothes and slipped into a set of less soaked clothes, a soft reddish shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

DORUmon walked into the culvert and curled up. The two of them sighed lonely and looked out at the rain. It was slowing down. The bushes shook and DORUmon's head shot up only for him to lower it again when Taku and DemiDevimon appeared. Taku was wearing the clothes from before, though they looked as if they'd been worked over by the boy.

"Well?" asked Kisho quietly.

"I found large puddle, and washed what I could and tried to clean my clothes," replied the black haired boy. There were still soft smudges on his face from stubborn stains. "I don't suppose you have a towel or something…"

Taku stepped into the culvert. Kisho could still smell the ripe odor of the Numemon's attack, but at least now it was greatly muted by the smell of leaves and rain water. Kisho prodded about in his duffel bag and tossed Taku a towel.

"So, how do you feel now?" asked Kisho.

Taku stopped wiping his face with the towel, "What do you mean?"

"Are you still mad at the Numemon?" replied Kisho. His brown eyes looked up to meet Taku's gaze.

"I guess not," answered Taku and he continued to wipe his head down with the towel. "Why do you care?"

"Well, we'll just have to have some friends if we plan to make it here," said Kisho. He stood up and stooped forward to look and see if anyone else was coming. "I would really like it if you would not be as aggressive towards the Numemon when we go down there."

"I'll be as aggressive as I want!" snapped Taku loudly. DemiDevimon looked at DORUmon, but the fox-raptor only shook its head. Taku sneered. "Look Mr. Nice Guy."

"Taku, please, don't get angry with me, I am just asking that you tone down the tough guy act for a bit," Kisho continued to look out at the rain. "I know you don't really get along with Haru and the others, but I would really like it if you were to be my friend in this…"

Kisho turned. Taku was blinking. A surprised look covered his face. "I-I…" Taku stammered a couple of times and then his eyes narrowed. "Look goggle head," Taku reached up and snapped the goggles on Kisho's forehead, "just don't try to get in my way and we'll get on just fine!"

Kisho sighed and turned back to the rain. Haru and Jiro were walking out from the bushes. The two were giggling and poking each other. Kisho pulled back into the culvert and pulled a pair of towels from his pack.

"Here," whispered Kisho; he tossed them the towel, as Haru and Jiro walked in. Agumon and Guilmon shook, eliciting a growl from Taku and DemiDevimon.

"Thanks, buddy," Haru smiled as he dried himself off. Haru passed the towel to Jiro who took it up and dried himself.

"Don't worry, about it," whispered Kisho. He peered around and spied Renamon leaping down from a tree. Behind the fox was a young girl looking discouragingly at her clothes. Kisho drew another towel from his bag.

Ren stumbled into the culvert with Renamon behind her. "My clothes…"

"Don't worry," Kisho whispered as he handed her a towel, "I'm sure the Numemon will let you change in one of their huts before we go."

The girl looked up at Kisho and gave a weak smile. "Ok…"

"Come on; let's get down there and on our way towards Toy Town!" Kisho smiled brightly and hopped up, lifting his duffel bag and trotted further into the culvert.

888

"It is good they went with the Numemon, the surface is not safe," Sorcerymon looked into a crystal ball that rested on his palm. Sorcerymon sighed and looked out from the hiding tree. "This storm will not pass, the promise from ages past is being kept…May they be able to stop these events before someone frees Him into this world." Sorcerymon looked up at the sky. The darkness from before held its place around the peak of Infinity Mountain but the lower ridges and foothills were free of the storm's evil power, for the time being. "Baronmon, you have no idea with what powers you are dealing…"

**888**

**AN: This is chapter 8. It's a bit of a rest for our heroes. **

**Dark Qiviut: Well Ren is a bit of girly girl like Mimi was, but she also has a lot of compassion. I hope to toughen her up, later on. **

**Miss Oblong: I don't usually write chapters as long as the last one, mostly because if I get going too far I have a hard time finding a place to stop. I get my evolutions from shining celebi's site, as well as cross referencing with digibros, digi-encyclopedia and digiport. I'd put the sites down but fanfic doesn't like that. I guess I want to ask; why not ExVeemon? He's just as viable as Devimon, Devidramon or Boogeymon. As with the other evolutions, there is no reason they can't evolve into the forms they do, just because people don't do it, doesn't mean it isn't possible. I really have no reasoning behind two of the evolutions other than they were something new but three have a reason to my madness. **

**Yep I went back and fixed the drop down but haven't gone to fix the actual title on the chapter yet, been too lazy. Puttimon didn't really get much of a chance to explain himself, because Baronmon…as we have seen in this chapter, he has other things on his priority list… **

**Alforce: Well I was planning on there being something else under his clothing but I really didn't want to have to explain why the others hadn't noticed it…so I made it a self image issue. Yep ExVeemon is a viral ExVeemon, per digiport's master list. **


	9. Requiem for the Babes in Toyland

**I don't own digimon**

**Requiem for the Babes in Toyland **

**888**

"I'm tired…" Jiro whispered as he staggered along behind his brother. "What time is it?"

"I don't know," replied Haru in a hush as he focused on walking along the dark cement platform that ran parallel to a stream of sewer water.

Jiro stumbled forward. Fortunately, Agumon snagged the blonde child before he fell into the stream.

"Hold up…" yelped Agumon loudly. The children stopped and turned. "Jiro just about fell in…"

"Well, if he is ok, let's keep going," called Taku back to Agumon.

"Jiro…" Haru walked up to the boy and turned around, "Come on, get on my back, I'll carry you."

"I can't; you're just as tired as I am," yawned Jiro as he looked up at his brother.

"I'm older, I'll be fine," returned Haru as he coaxed his little brother onto his back and hoisted the boy up higher so he could stand.

The children then proceeded. They took a couple of turns and then Ren started leaning on Kisho. The boy blushed profusely.

"Uh…Ren…" whispered the boy in an agitated gulp, "Aren't you a little close…?"

"I'm so tired…" murmured the girl as she leaned a little more against Kisho.

Renamon looked down at DORUmon but the lavender digimon only shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

"Ren…would you like…me to carry you a ways?" whispered Kisho as he shifted to try and compensate for Ren's weight.

"Oh would you?" Ren asked as if she never anticipated the young man to ask her.

"For a while," replied Kisho as he stopped and helped Ren up on his back. He tucked her legs through his arms and then taking both their packs in his hands staggered forward.

Taku grimaced as he watched the Ren and Kisho walk along, "You know spoiling her isn't going to help anyone!"

"Neither will listening to her complain for however long it takes to get where we're going," returned Haru snappishly.

Karatsuki Numemon yawned elaborately as he turned and looked at Taku, "Boy, I don't usually stay up this late…I'm so tir…."

"Don't even think about it," growled Taku as he looked at the shelled digimon.

"But…" whined Karatsuki Numemon.

"No," was Taku's reply as he walked past the nautilus-like Numemon. DemiDevimon fluttered past and landed on Taku's head. The bat turned around and stuck his tongue out at the slimy digimon.

"It's not much farther anyways," grumbled Karatsuki Numemon. The shelled digimon slid past Taku and around a corner, "In fact if I remember correctly, the right manhole cover should be down this corridor and around the right corner third manhole down…"

The children nodded and started down the corridor and a spasm of low rumbles played through the pipes and funneled into the sewer. The children looked at each other and then at their guide.

"They must be fighting," whispered Haru as he leaned back and put Jiro down. Kisho proceeded forward for a bit and the rumbles echoed through the sewer again.

"Ren, you should get down, I don't want to drop you if this thing caves in…" whispered Kisho.

"But I just got on…" whimpered the girl.

"Please, Ren, just do it without complaining," replied Kisho. He put the girl down and dusted himself down. He then proceeded forward.

As they continued closer toward the area that Karatsuki Numemon was leading them to the rumbles grew not only louder but more continuous. They made a right hand turn at the end of the corridor and the sound of rumbling was explosive and unstopping. Kisho looked up at the manhole cover. He slung his duffel bag on his shoulder and then started to climb the ladder up to the cover. He pushed the heavy metal circle up and peered out of the sewer. The sky was orange with the reflection of flames on clouds. The smell of smoke and the sounds of shouting and explosions filled the air, but the street they were surfacing on was relatively quiet.

"Well?" called Haru from down below.

"It's clear…" Shouted Kisho as he pushed the cover over and scrambled out of the sewer. "Come on up."

Haru and Jiro were the first to shimmy up the ladder after Kisho. Ren wasn't far behind, Renamon leapt up through the manhole cover alighting next to the girl. Taku and DemiDevimon then popped up and sat on the street next to Kisho and watched as Guilmon, DORUmon and Agumon crawled out of the hole. Karatsuki Numemon rode on the back of Guilmon and then fell off the dragon.

A block down the sky erupted in flame. A shadow rushed over their heads. Suddenly fire balls rained down around them. Large moth wings fluttered and as the flames subsided.

"Ah, so they survived," said the flame red armored moth dragon. He lifted a gauntlet. A ball of flames whirled into existence in his hand. "Flare…."

A pair of red lasers lanced between the moth and the digi-destined. Before anyone could establish what happened a large, golden, teddy bear had charged past, shoulder blocking the moth dragon.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw…?" Taku looked at the others.

"If you just saw a giant teddy bear take on a big moth…then yeah you saw it," murmured Haru. He looked down at Karatsuki Numemon. "Is everything here big and mean?"

"Well I wouldn't be too condescending, that teddy bear is Monzaemon and he just saved you from Shadramon, one of the members of Task Force Beta…" sniped Karatsuki Numemon.

"Flare Buster!" The moth dragon started to retaliate as he pumped Monzaemon with flaming fire fists. The golden teddy bear, though much larger than the moth, was sent staggering as the flames crashed into his plush body.

"We gotta help him!" shouted Haru.

"Wait…" Renamon stepped between Haru and the battle, "Guilmon and Agumon should stay back, Shadramon is a fire digimon and Guilmon's and Agumon's attacks won't hurt him as badly as the rest of our attacks will." Renamon looked to DORUmon and then to DemiDevimon. "You boys ready to go to work…?"

DORUmon and DemiDevimon nodded and together they rushed forward. Shadramon looked up to get his face struck by a basketball sized ball bearing.

"Ouch…" winced Kisho and Haru as Shadramon's head shot backward.

"Power Punch!" the glowing fist of Renamon slammed into the dragon's stomach.

"Demi Dart!" hundreds of micro syringes flew from the red talons of DemiDevimon and slashed into the veined wings of Shadramon.

"Psychic Wave!" hundreds of electromagnetic pulses shot from the moth's forehead overrunning the bodies of the three Rookies.

Renamon dropped to her knees as sparks played across his furry cheeks. DemiDevimon crashed to the ground and curled his wings around his head. DORUmon was still crawling forward on all fours.

The violet, furred raptor's body glowed and the red triangle on his forehead flared to life, "DASH METAL!"

A bright golden flare exploded in all directions. The humans turned their heads from the light. It dissipated and the digi-destined looked back to see the results of the flash. DORUmon was curled up against the wall of a building, quivering. Shadramon was standing perfectly still. The moth dragon blinked. A crack snaked down the crest of the digimon's flame helmet.

"Is that all you can do, crack my armor? How pathetic…" chuckled the armored digimon.

"I hope you didn't forget about me!" growled Monzaemon. The golden teddy bear stepped forward and his eyes glowed brightly.

"Oh crap…" grumbled Shadramon as the twin laser broadsided him. The moth wasn't finished though and started to stand.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" Renamon shot into the air and then sent a hail of glowing arrowheads raining down on the fiery moth.

"Demi Dart!" Darts shot into the crack on the forehead of the moth.

"DORUmon!" Kisho ran over to his partner, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…just that last attack, leaves me a bit winded…" whispered DORUmon as he staggered to his feet.

"Just stay here and wait," Kisho held DORUmon back slightly and looked up at the fight.

Shadramon was retreating into the air. Renamon was leaping up the side of a building after him. DemiDevimon was at the moth's heels. Shadramon turned and lifted his gauntlets to his head. A large shockwave slammed DemiDevimon and Renamon back to the ground.

"That is enough!" shouted Monzaemon. He held out his palms, "Hearts Attack!"

A huge, heart-shaped bubble formed around Shadramon. The moth dragon growled as he a pink light filled the bubble.

"If you think you can hold me in a soap bubble, you have another think coming!" roared Shadramon as he punched and kicked at the bubble. The pink light burned brighter. The dragon's gauntlets disappeared and the moth's wings disappeared, for a few seconds the moth dragon was nothing more than a green worm but that worm quickly changed into a brown owl. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"It seems your digimental evolution is a little temperamental," chuckled Monzaemon. His eyes glowed brightly, "and now all that interfering fire armor is gone…"

"No! This isn't fair!" shouted the owl as a pair of twin laser beams sliced through his wings and torso.

"All I can say…" whispered Jiro, "is woah…"

"It's not over yet, Pteranomon are coming; we should retreat to a more stable position…" said Monzaemon as he started to lumber off.

"Well, come on!" yelped Karatsuki Numemon.

The children and their digimon looked at each other and then jogged after the teddy bear and the snail. Monzaemon lead them to a large cottage style house and sent them to the kitchen to eat as he rounded up his men for a meeting.

888

"We can't keep this up!" growled Monzaemon to a group of digimon around a table. The digimon were spherical digimon with masculine arms and legs and mustaches. "Without air support!"

"Unimon and his forces are still bottled up in the foothills of Infinity Mountain, and all the other aerial digimon have gone into retreat somewhere else," replied one of the manly spheres.

"I know…" growled Monzaemon. "I fear we may lose…Taskforce Beta has really turned the tables on us…You Nanimon have had it rough I know, but we can't give up this town without a fight, we're one of the last towns still in wide scale rebellion."

"We can only hope to hold them off for a little longer, our casualties are reaching unacceptable levels, for every one of them we get they're getting two of us…" said another one of the round men. He was darker skinned with red gloves.

"We can help…" The group of Nanimon turned to see the five children standing in the door of the room. "We really can…"

"Monzaemon!" yelped a voice as a silvery digimon hopped into the door way. The children choked as it pushed past them. It was a nume-poop covered in silver, with a mouth and long arms. "He's back!"

The children looked around. "Who?"

"Him…" Monzaemon stood as a red and blue dragon stepped into the room. Flaming armor covered his hands, head, and chest. The digimon's stomach was exposed revealing a sextet of white-fleshed muscles.

Renamon and the other Rookies growled loudly, "Flamedramon…" The fox shot a glare at Monzaemon, "How dare you say you fight for freedom when you trust this worm!"

"I think you should to hold your assumptions, Rookie," replied Flamedramon in a low rumble and walked up to Monzaemon.

"Yes, Flamedramon isn't what he seems," replied Monzaemon. The teddy bear put his plush paw on the fire dragon's shoulder, "He was formed from a Hagurumon that was on our side before the attacks…he is now our chief spy…"

"Even so…" Renamon narrowed her eyes, "I don't trust digimon that look like one of the Armored digimon…"

"You don't need to trust me," replied Flamedramon with a growl, "You only need to stay out of my way…"

"Stop this bickering," whispered Jiro, "Don't you have something to say, Flamedramon?"

"Yes," the dragon nodded. "Monzaemon, I have been hearing word that the Armored digimon are building a massive strike against you soon…" The dragon hesitated.

"What?" Monzaemon implored as the dragon looked down.

"So far I have only seen slight movements of forces from Toy Town…" Flamedramon growled. "I can't stay long, my regiment is moving to the north soon…"

"They're retreating?" Monzaemon narrowed his eyes, "We may have done it." He turned to the Nanimon around him, "Tell the men, push the assault forward if they want to retreat then let's give them something to retreat from!"

The sound of a trumpet echoed along the streets. Flamedramon jerked his head up, "That's the signal to call in patrols, I have to go, now." The dragon pushed out of the conference room.

Monzaemon turned to the humans, "I hope we can expect your assistance…"

"Of course!" Taku pushed forward.

"No!" Ren yelped a horrified look crossed her face, "I…we…no, it was different when they were attacking us and chasing us down, it's just not right…"

"What do you mean?" Taku spun around, "this is war, Ren, people die; you have to make sure that your side is the winner!"

"Not this way!" returned Ren loudly. "No, this is wrong; to attack while they are running away…it's wrong!"

"So you're just going to let them get away with pounding this town and running away?" Taku narrowed his eyes and growled.

"I won't become like them!" shouted Ren and she plopped herself down on the floor stubbornly, "Renamon I don't want you going into the fight, I refuse!"

"Ren…" The fox looked down at the girl.

"No!" was the only response the child would give.

"Haru, Kisho…" Taku looked at the two boys.

"She does have a bit of a point…I mean killing in self defense is definitely much more justifiable than…an offensive strike," murmured Haru as he lifted his fingers to edge of his chin.

"Ah come on!" Taku snarled as he looked to Kisho.

"We…" Kisho looked down and contemplated his answer quietly, "don't know what the Armored digimon are up to specifically. The retreat could be a lure into a strike that could obliterate them, and if we don't take it they may force us into a fight anyway…if it is a trap, we did promise to help, no matter what…Ren, please…"

"You're asking me to let Renamon kill innocent beings…" Ren whispered to the floor.

"Ren, these digimon are at war, the title innocent is…a little dubious," said Kisho as he walked up to the girl, "You don't have to attack anyone that isn't trying to hurt you, you can be our rear guard…but please…"

"Do you promise that I don't have to let Renamon fight anyone that isn't trying to hurt us?" Ren looked up a doubtful expression played across her face.

"I promise, you don't have to fight anyone but those that are trying to harm us," said Kisho with a warm smile.

"Jiro…" Haru said suddenly. Haru turned and looked at his brother, "I want you to stay here, out of danger."

"What?" Jiro looked up in surprise. "Why, I want to help you guys?"

"No!" Haru snapped. "I don't want you to get hurt, these digimon aren't playing around, and I'm responsible for you, if I let you get hurt; Mom and Dad would never let me be forgiven…"

"It may be best, Jiro," Kisho replied. "Nothing against you or Agumon, but you're a bit of a target, being the smallest child…"

"But…but…" Jiro looked at the two boys, going from his blonde brother to the brown haired boy with the green banded goggles. "I'm a digi-destined too! I deserve to go with you!"

"No!" shouted the two, older boys together.

Jiro looked in shock at the two and sniffed. "Well, fine…" The little, blonde haired boy turned and ran from the conference room, Agumon hot on his heels.

"Come on, we haven't much time," announced Monzaemon as the large teddy bear passed towards the massive doorway. "Nanimon, get your men ready, tonight we will teach those Armored digimon that they can't just turn tail and run!"

"Yeah!" growled the manly orbs as they stomped past the humans.

"Come on," Taku called as he ran after them.

"Ren, you can ride with me on DORUgamon," whispered Kisho as he looked at Haru, "I…hope we didn't hurt Jiro's…."

"He's tough…don't worry about it…" replied Haru as he patted Guilmon on the head, "Are you ready for a fight?"

"For you, anything, Haru," replied Guilmon.

"Right boy," smiled Haru and they followed Taku.

"Hey, wait for us!" yelped DORUmon as the raptor-like fox hopped after the dragon.

"We better get going…" whispered Kisho to Ren as he turned and left the room with only the girl and the fox digimon, Renamon, occupying it.

"You do understand, right, Renamon?" asked Ren in a soft whisper as she looked to the hard wood floor of the conference room.

"I will not disobey your wishes, if that is what you mean," replied the fox with a flick of her tail, "I do not understand why you wish to hold back…."

"Renamon, if we kill them, we'll be no better than they are, I…" Ren closed her eyes, "I just can't let you murder them."

"They are scum…" replied the fox with a note of annoyance. "They deserve to be crushed under foot, after the massacres they have administered…"

"STOP IT!" Ren looked up suddenly. Her eyes were a mix of saddened tears and rage-filled flames. "Those digimon have families and friends, just like you do, if we kill them then they'll just say the same thing about us! Don't you understand?"

Renamon blinked. The fox was taken aback by the girl's statement. "Ren…I'm sorry…" Renamon took three steps forward and exited the room. The vixen stopped at the doorway and turned, "I will pray then that their data is given a second chance in this world so that they may try and amend their evil ways…" Ren looked up at the maize furred fox and tears still rolled down her cheeks. The fox sighed, "Please, Ren, no more tears, we have a long night ahead of us before we can safely rest and repent…" The girl sighed quietly and in defeat shuffled forward, walking with the fox.

888

Jiro watched from the upstairs as ExVeemon, Raptordramon, DORUgamon, flew off from the front of the house. The three digimon followed a slowly receding army of other digimon that Jiro didn't recognize. He sighed and turned to Agumon.

"I wish I wasn't so small, they couldn't push me around like that if I wasn't so small," said the child quietly as he sat down on a cot, one of a row of such beds that lined the large attic they were in.

"They are only worried about you," said Agumon as the little yellow dinosaur walked up to the cot next to Jiro, "Don't worry, we can be their last line of defense. We'll fight them in the bedrooms; we'll fight them in the tubs…" Agumon started to march in place and mime machine guns firing.

Jiro giggled at the digimon's antics. "You're right though…we could help, not many digimon are here now…I think just Karatsuki Numemon…we could help him do whatever he is doing…"

The room suddenly was lit from the window and Jiro swiveled around to see the explosions on the far outskirts of Toy Town blazing in all directions as untold numbers of attacks flew into the sky and down to the ground. Jiro gulped as there was a loud explosion that caused the house to rattle.

"Don't worry, they have Raptordramon, DORUgamon, ExVeemon and Renamon protecting them, not to mention Monzaemon and a whole host of other digimon…" whispered Agumon.

"I know…" came the whispered reply from Jiro. "I hope they are ok…"

888

"V Laser!" the grey body of ExVeemon burst into bright gold as the X shaped blast fired down into the city streets below slicing silken threads from the buildings.

A herd of Wormmon had tried to bind up the forces by making a large web between the buildings. The rookie bugs scattered when ExVeemon appeared though.

"Not bad for a mere Champion," chuckled a haughty voice. ExVeemon turned and growled. Taku was being held up by a blue, lithe digimon. A lightning streak ran down his arms and body was covered in a skier's body suit and a white scarf flowed behind it. The helmet was whisk back into spiky projections, "But it lacked the kind of pizzazz we Armored digimon have…"

"Rinkmon…" growled ExVeemon.

"Let me go, you overgrown Chap Stick commercial!" roared Taku as he writhed in the digimon's grip. The boy's heel soon connected with the digimon's shin though and as the skater howled from the unexpected pain Taku wriggled free and ran. "Get him ExVeemon!"

The dragon nodded and dove for the skating digimon. The blue creature snarled and slid back on glowing blades and disappeared into a blur of blue. ExVeemon landed next to Taku and spun around looking for the blue digimon.

"Here I am," announced the creature as it appeared on the roof of a house. "Or am I?"

ExVeemon suddenly felt a fist crush up against his chin as the blue fiend struck and disappeared again. The grey dragon staggered on his feet but stayed up.

"Behind you!" yelped Taku as the digimon appeared again with its hands locked together in a hammer shape prepared to slam the double fist onto the back of ExVeemon's neck.

The dragon had other plans though and slapped its tail into the creature sending smacking into the ground. ExVeemon spun around and brought his ham fist down into the blue skater. Rinkmon's image shifted and phased out revealing ExVeemon's fist embedded in the street.

"Slow, slow, slow…" chuckled Rinkmon as he materialized down the street. "Such a shame…" The lightning streaks on the arms of Rinkmon glowed brightly, "Quadruple Storm!" four blasts of lightning shot from the streaks. The four streamers of electricity snaked and writhed around ExVeemon, bringing the dragon to its knees. The lightning continued to rage across the dragon as Rinkmon stood straight. "Now…to finish you off, you bit of misfortunate data…" Rinkmon skated forward turning into a blue blur that raced towards ExVeemon.

"EXVEEMON GET UP!" shouted Taku as the blue blur buzzed past him nearly sending to the ground because of the air movement around the digimon.

"V…LASER!" The dragon ripped his arms outward from their fetal position and a blazing white X sliced across the street. The feet of the X melted large divots into the pavement. The white X and the blue blur collided. A scrap of white scarf swept up from the blast and digitized into dark particles.

888

"Gordian Knot!" golden blades sliced through the ranks of Nanimon.

The masculine spheroids scattered as a tall digimon appeared in front of them. A light blue demon stood up holding a pair of wooden blades. Two long erect ears swiveled slowly as the white, masked face turned looking at the scene. Its eyes narrowed as they fell upon a single digimon standing defiantly in front of them. A golden fox stood in front of a terrified human child.

"So, you are a good swordsman…" said the fox nonchalantly.

"I am Yashamon, blade master," confirmed the swordsman, "and you are a troublemaker, the hopes and dreams that you, and rebels like you, have, pollute the purity of this world…"

"Power Drive!" shouted the Nanimon as they dove for the swordsman. Yashamon growled loudly. Ren closed her eyes as the Nanimon screamed loudly. Ren cracked an eye open and saw golden slashes fill her limited vision. She looked up in surprise as the Nanimon exploded into dust.

Yashamon stood there calmly, holding the swords up nonchalantly. "See, now all those digimon are dead…they should have just surrendered." Yashamon took two steps forward and pointed one of his swords at Renamon, "Are you going to surrender…of will you be dust like them?"

"Renamon…let's get out of here…" whispered Ren tugging on Renamon's tail. "Please…"

Renamon started to take a step back but Yashamon leapt into the air, back flipping and landing behind the two partners, "You wouldn't think of running away now would you?"

Renamon pulled Ren behind her and stepped forward, "You Armored digimon are the ones on the retreat…"

"Pah…" Yashamon smirked and slid his swords across each other, "We just needed to lure out the humans, so we could destroy them…" Yashamon lunged forward.

"Renamon get down!" Ren yelped as she tackled the fox sending her to the ground as Yashamon soared over them. The llama-eared demon rolled and gracefully returned to his feet as he swung around and prepared to slice through the pair.

Renamon pushed Ren off of her and rolled away as the wooden sword cut into the pavement. Yashamon turned towards Ren and leapt.

"Now you don't!" Renamon leapt forward and hooked a headlock around the digimon as she wrapped her legs around its waist.

Ren scrambled backward as Yashamon thrashed around and succeeded to toss Renamon to the street.

The swordsman laughed and drew its swords up, "Feisty little vixen, aren't you?" A wind swirled around Yashamon's wooden swords, "Gordian Knot!"

The swords sliced forward releasing a shockwave through the air that slammed into Renamon as the fox tried to rise. Renamon groaned as she was tossed down the street. Yashamon loped down the street swinging his blades back and forth and sending crushing shockwaves into Renamon.

"Renamon!" Ren ran after Yashamon. "Yashamon, stop it, NOW!"

Yashamon stopped and turned. His blades slid forward and a cold smirk glinted in his eyes. A tight coil of wind cut around the blade of his wooden sword.

"Ren," Renamon stood up and rushed forward. "Renamon digivolve to…Ebidramon! Lobster Step!"

A large, red claw slapped Yashamon to the side. The swordsman shot forward from where he landed; his swords drawn. One claw caught one of the swords and the other claw clenched around Yashamon's other blade. The demon digimon grunted as he tried to free his swords from the large lobster's claws. Ebidramon roared and yanked the swords from Yashamon, crushing the wooden weapons in her claws. Yashamon narrowed his eyes and leapt back.

"We will meet again," growled the demon as he leapt up to the roof of a house and disappeared into the night.

Ebidramon immediately reverted to Renamon, who held her stomach. Ren ran to the fox and held her tightly, "Renamon, are you ok?"

"I will be fine," whispered Renamon as she stood and looked around, "unlike the rest of the forces with us…" The Nanimon were either laid out with cuts and burns or were nothing but data burns left on the streets or walls. "We can't…just keep being reactionary, good digimon will be killed…"

"But…" Ren looked at Renamon.

"Ren, the world is a painful place, but some fights must be fought," Renamon dusted herself off, "now, let us make sure none of these Nanimon are going to perish before the medics get here…"

Ren nodded and slowly followed Renamon as the fox moved from one Nanimon to the next.

888

Red lasers lanced through the streets after a herd of Veemon scrambled along the streets retreating from the advancing teddy bear. Streaks of purple energy sliced through the air exploding into the large bear. A flame, armored centaur galloped forward with his arm raised. Imbedded in the centaur's arm armor was a large bow. The centaur pulled back on the bowstring and a purple energy arrow formed and fired forward snapping into the teddy bear. A second, more humanoid figure weaved forward in the air being carried by a large black crow. It was dressed like a farmer and had a straw hat on its head. Its cream colored arm reached back and pulled an arrow from a quiver on its back. The man put arrow to the bow it held in its other hand and fired. The arrow ensnared lavender energy around its arrowhead as it streaked into the teddy bear. The two arrows exploded on contact sending the teddy bear reeling back.

Two forms shot down from the sky. One fired a bolt of lightning down at the farmer. The second fired a glowing ball bearing at the centaur. The two Armored archers retreated back and launched a volley of projectiles up at the Champions. The large, grey furred, winged raptor dropped down and swung its tail around crashing it into the centaur.

The larger cyborg dinosaur opened a pair of ports on its chest chassis and released two, black smiley missiles that exploded into the scarecrow. The scarecrow and the crow crashed into the ground. The crow shook itself off and grabbed onto the scarecrow and together scrambled backward as the large, furred digimon turned its head to them. The large inverted triangle on the beast's forehead glowed brightly and a blast of red energy exploded into the ground in front of the scarecrow.

Heart-shaped bubbles flooded the street. The centaur growled and pulled back, firing arrows through the bubbles. The scarecrow followed the centaur. A small red hawk shot out of the sky and crashed down next to the two Armored digimon.

"Reports say all Rookie and Armored forces are out of the perimeter, sirs!" reported the red bird as he turned looked behind him. The hawk paled at the sight of the two Champions bearing down on him, "I think I'm going to join them!" The hawk scurried up the street.

"Nohemon, it's time," growled the centaur. He loaded his bow.

"Sagittarimon, are you ready?" hissed the voice of the scarecrow as he drew an arrow onto his bow.

"Yes, now!" shouted the centaur as he pointed his arrow straight into the sky. "Judgment Arrow!" the energy bolt shot into the sky.

The scarecrow pointed his arrow also to the sky and his voice hissed softly as the arrow shot upwards, "William'ssss Arrow…."

"Now to make our escape!" shouted the centaur, "Nohemon!"

The scarecrow flashed his brown, gloved hand forward, "Derision Claw!" A black shadow flew forward engulfing the two champions and the teddy bear. The digimon froze as the two armored digimon made a run for it.

"DORUgamon!" shouted a small voice.

"Raptordramon!" shouted another. The two Armored digimon looked back to see two humans running up to the champions.

"Lord Baronmon will be much pleased to get rid of them all in one fell swoop," chuckled Sagittarimon as he galloped down the street.

"Yesss, and to deliver the blow himssself…." Nohemon hissed with a laugh, "Will be quite the coup…."

888

Baronmon lifted the binoculars to his face and grinned. He stood out on the balcony of his room. Two streamers of lavender exploded over Toy Town. His gnarled teeth exposed themselves as he smiled. He lifted a gloved hand up.

"I think it is time to demonstrate the powers I have gained from the digimental I possess," chuckled Baronmon. "What better way to do that than to destroy an entire army…?" The black clouds swirled above his head. Dark lightning flashed above the temple. "Meteor DANCE!"

Hundreds of black, flaming projectiles rifled from the clouds and cut through the air. All of them were diving for Toy Town. He chuckled as little plumes of black flames exploded from Toy Town. He lifted his hand again and waved it forward, a second wave of meteors flew down and again Toy Town was smothered in explosions. Baronmon laughed loudly as he drew his green cloak together over his chest and turned from the balcony and walked back into his bedroom.

888

Jiro blinked as he held his arm. It hurt. A lot of his body hurt. He couldn't remember exactly what happened. All he knew was Agumon felt something and pushed him from the house.

"Agu…mon…" whispered Jiro as he slowly lifted his head. He winced as large, cathedral bells bellowed in his head. He closed his eyes and held his hand up to his temple.

"Jiro…are you ok?" asked the voice of his partner.

Jiro turned his head as much as he could to see Agumon stuck under a pile of metal and wood. Jiro crawled over to the yellow dinosaur and pulled at the pile. The pylons and cement fragments would budge, neither would the wooden planks. A wave of nausea came over Jiro and held his stomach and turned away as his stomach flipped and ejected its contents onto the shattered earth.

"Agumon…" Jiro coughed as he wiped his mouth. "What happened?"

"Some sort of attack…struck the edges of town," whispered the dinosaur. He was still struggling and wriggling, trying to free himself. "Whatever it was, it was strong; the shockwave tore the house to dust…"

"Haru!" Jiro turned back to where his brother and the others had gone. "No…"

The boy struggled to his feet and staggered into a run in the direction his brother was.

"Jiro…" Agumon shimmied and grunted and somehow slid free. Agumon crawled after his partner, "please wait!"

Jiro stopped, but it wasn't to Agumon's request. A large, ghostly cactus in a beige poncho hovered in front of him.

"So one of them did survive…" said the cactus with a sneer, "what a shame you just weren't lucky enough to get away…"

"What do you mean, one of them survived?" Jiro looked up in surprise. "Where is my brother?"

"Hehe, don't worry about him, where he went, no one ever feels pains again," the cactus snatched forward. "Oh to bring you in, yes, I will definitely get a reward, they'll give good old Ponchomon his own saloon!"

"No, don't lay a hand on him!" yelped Agumon, "Pepper Breath!" A fire ball slapped the cactus in the face.

"Insignificant little beast," growled the cactus. He whirled around, "Cactus Bat!" orange bats swept out from under the poncho of the cactus. The bats swirled around Agumon and the little yellow digimon was lifted up and flown several meters into the sky and then the bats dropped him. There was a poof of dust as Agumon's body disappeared behind a pile of debris.

"AGUMON!" shouted Jiro as he turned to run but the cactus grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw the boy over its shoulder.

"You're coming with me, don't worry, I'm sure they won't hurt you….too much," chuckled the cactus digimon as it glided away.

**888**

**I probably won't be updating until sometime later next week, after that, things should pick up again. **

**Dark Qiviut: Not sure if you liked the chapter or not…this chapter is much more serious. Yep, I remembered that in the Japanese version of digimon, Tai makes lots and lots of poop jokes, which I believe happens in the manga of the TV series, this prompts Mimi to have a fit, that whole scene where she is 'trying to sing' is actually I think the whole screaming about the poop jokes, and anyways Tai makes a deal with the others that they only call it sludge. Well that's my story for today… **


	10. Aftermath

**I don't own digimon**

**Aftermath**

**888**

"I don't know," whispered Kabukimon as she walked down the hall. "I wish I could say our master is stable, but ever since he has made contact with the digimental he has become more and more reclusive…"

"We should not question Lord Baronmon," replied Sepikmon as he walked along side his flowery companion. The lion faced flower priestess turned and sighed. Behind Sepikmon's oval mask the monkey shaman closed his eyes in frustration, "You worry because our lord is more reclusive; be happy that he trusts us with the administration of his power!"

"I fear that he is being corrupted like…" Kabukimon let the sentence trail off.

"Our lord is not a weak angel, he is more powerful than that!" retorted Sepikmon.

"You should be careful what you say," Kabukimon looked down, "The Founders could only contained the angel after sending eight Mega digimon and a contingent of digimon empowered by the Sacrificial Founder of Miracles…"

"Our Lord shall rise above that when he finds out how to utilize the powers of the dark digimental," replied Sepikmon quietly. "You saw, he destroyed an entire city with the wave of his hand; he has done the unbelievable in the destruction of the Digi-destined. Nothing can stand in his way!"

"So you believe that he has actually destroyed the Digi-destined?" Kabukimon looked at the cold floor, "They never found any evidence that they were destroyed…"

"You only have to look at Toy Town to see the truth, my dear Kabukimon," replied Sepikmon as he walked ahead of the tiger lily priestess. "I do hope you do not express these feelings in front of Lord Baronmon, it will poison his faith in you…and you don't want that…"

"Where is Lord Baronmon?" asked Kabukimon as she walked to a heavy wooden door.

"He is preparing for an important guest," replied Sepikmon quietly as he continued down the hall.

Kabukimon nodded and pushed the door open and departed from the corridor.

888

"What….hit me...?" whispered Ren quietly as she slowly opened one eye. She was in a tent; the air was filled with chemical smells and herbs. There was a soft hum of moving and talking.

"A rain of meteors," replied Haru's voice. Ren slowly looked over to where the boy's voice had come from, "We all got hit pretty bad…"

Ren slowly sat up, wincing all the way up. "Is everyone ok?"

"Pretty much," Kisho's voice said. Ren turned and saw the boy had bandages up and down his legs and over his stomach. She looked around Haru and similar bandages, though he had one that was wrapped around his head. Kisho walked over to Ren and sat down, "We can't find Jiro though…"

"What do you mean?" Ren looked around.

Taku was sitting on his cot next to DemiDevimon, who was trying to get the boy to sit still so he could clean the child's wounds. Agumon was sitting next to Guilmon and they were both held dressings for Haru. Renamon and DORUmon were carrying buckets of water towards them. She looked around; there were other beds, all of them had digimon that were injured.

"Agumon said a digimon named Ponchomon took him," said Haru as he looked down. "It was after the attack, everyone was still out cold…Jiro was going to go looking for us…" Haru glared down at his hands and growled, "Damn it, I should've been there, I shouldn't have left him there alone!"

"Haru, don't beat yourself, I told him to stay there too," said Kisho as he stood up and walked over to Haru.

"You aren't the one that's supposed to be protecting him!" Haru gritted through his teeth, "None of you have to watch out for a little kid!"

"Hey," Ren stood up and then winced and plopped back down on her cot. "Just because he's not our biological brother doesn't mean we didn't care about him any less or aren't any less worried about his whereabouts!"

"Ren's right, we can't risk letting him fall into those bastards' hands," said Taku as he stood up. "Who knows what they'd do to him."

"I've got to find him," whispered Haru and he stood up.

Kisho stood up behind him and put his hand on Haru's shoulder. "You can't go alone, if you go, you could get captured and in your condition…" Kisho shook his head and closed his eyes, "We'll have to wait till we're all able to look for him."

"No, they could kill him by then!" shouted Haru loudly. "If they hurt him I'll never be able to live that down…my parents…oh god my parents…"

"Just settle down," whispered Kisho as he turned Haru around. "Don't worry, we'll get your brother back, I promise…"

"You promise, you promise!" Haru glared at Kisho, "Do you think they'll care if you promise?"

"Oh shut up!" shouted Taku loudly, "For crying out loud he's just trying to make you feel better, if you can't see that then you're blind!"

Haru glared at Taku, "Oh yes let's hear from the little bastard…"

"Hey!" Kisho grabbed Haru's shoulder, "There was no need to talk to him like that!"

"Oh come off it, just because you and everyone else thinks you're the boss doesn't mean you are!" shouted Haru.

Kisho blinked and looked to the others, "I'm the leader?"

"You make all the decisions; you think you're so great don't you?" Haru narrowed his eyes.

"No, not really…" Kisho rubbed the back of his head.

"Haru, are you really this crazy or is your brain on vacation?" asked Taku as he stood up. "Because you know, I always thought you were a brat but now, you're just being a jackass…"

"Please…" Ren whispered quietly. "Stop fighting…" The boys stopped and looked at Ren. The girl looked down gently knotting up her skirt in her fists, "Haru can't be expected to be in a good mood. His brother has been taken from him; none of us know how that feels, so we shouldn't judge him…but Haru…" The girl looked up at the blonde boy with her brown eyes, "you have to understand that you can't go alone, we have to wait…I know it's hard but…we have no choice."

"I think we forget to realize that Jiro is a lot tougher than we give him credit…" said Agumon. "I mean…he'll get through this…"

Haru glared down at the ground and clenched and unclenched his fists. "If they hurt him…I swear...they'll wish they never saw me…" He pushed away from Kisho and pushed past Taku. "I'm going for a walk."

Guilmon lifted a claw to his mouth and whined. "Haru is very angry…"

"Jeesh, Guilmon nothing gets past you," DemiDevimon spat as the red and black dragon frowned and plopped down on the floor.

"I don't know what to do…" Guilmon looked to the others, "What should I do? Should I go with him, or should I stay here…?"

"You'd best go," sighed Renamon quietly, "Just in case…"

"Okey dokey, Renamon," Guilmon got up and loped after his partner.

"Just great," growled Taku loudly. He crossed his arms and dropped down on a cot. "Damned brat anyways blowing up like that…"

"Taku…" Kisho sighed and turned, "shut up."

"Who made you boss!" snarled Taku.

"No one, but right now we don't need you complaining," replied Kisho as he sat down on another cot. "We need to find Jiro, fast. The problem is we haven't the faintest idea where he is…"

"Somewhere on the island," said Agumon.

"Well duh, but that doesn't really help," replied Taku as he clenched the edge of his cot. "We could search all over this island and be old men before we found him…"

A shadow fell over the humans and they turned. A bandaged, golden teddy bear loomed over them. "May I suggest you consider waiting for someone to report in before you start making search plans?"

"We can't wait forever!" snapped Kisho. He looked up at the teddy bear, "I know you only mean the best but we really need to find Jiro…"

"We have gotten a communication from one of Meramon's underlings," said the teddy bear quietly. "Meramon says that one of his patrols came upon Task Force Beta's attack force last night, they've been following them since, but they wanted to make sure to know what the task force was doing before they made a full report. I trust that they will be making one very soon though, at the rate the attack force was moving, according to the communication, they must be rushing somewhere."

888

"Welcome to the Factory," growled an armored centaur. A group of bruised Nanimon staggered forward. "Your new life is to work, and that's it, if you are lucky we'll let you have some food and a little rest, but if you cross us; you will be crushed!"

"You will answer to Kenkimon!" a tall, lithe demon-man, "He is your worst nightmare, if you are hurt, or injured or tired, don't tell him; he'll not kiss your booboos, if you don't listen to Kenkimon he is authorized to get rid of you."

"Essscape izsss impossssible," hissed a scarecrow. "Even if you are able to break out of the prizssson you will never get passsst the patrolssss. Allomon and Sssstegomon are very hungry…"

The Nanimon were pushed through the heavy metal doors. The three armored digimon then turned to the carriage the prisoners had come in. The centaur walked forward and growled.

"Bring him out!" shouted the centaur.

A ghostly cactus hovered forward pushing a bound and gagged human. The human was small, with soft blond hair. His brown eyes were narrowed and a green cap was carelessly propped on his head. The human's lower legs were covered in cuts and bruises and a number of small splinters were still imbedded in his skin. His grey shorts were dirty and burned.

"What do you want me to do with him, Sagittarimon?" asked the cactus as he prodded the human out of the carriage.

"Clean him up," growled the centaur, "Lord Baronmon wishes to see him, he'll go in Baronmon's special collection…isn't that right, Nohemon."

"Yessss, but he mussst be clean," hissed the scarecrow, "Lord Baronmon doesssn't like hizsss vizsssitorssss dirty…"

"You heard Nohemon!" shouted the cactus as he leveled a spiky fist into the middle of the human's shoulders, "Off to the showers!"

The human staggered forward and dropped to his knees.

"Get up," growled the demon-man as he grabbed the human by the scruff of the neck. The demon-man shook the human. "Stand up!" The human fell on his feet and staggered back into the cactus ghost.

"Yashamon, be careful, if you kill it, Baronmon will have our heads!" shouted the cactus loudly.

"It's just a human, Ponchomon, no need to empathize with it," growled the demon-man. He turned and walked into the Factory.

"Flamedramon, have the Halsemon ready to go in the morning," shouted Sagittarimon as he walked behind Ponchomon, who was pushing the human into the large prison complex. The armored, fire dragon nodded and walked off leading the red feathered griffons behind him to get some food.

"Did you hear that?" whispered a voice. "They have him, the digi-destined child; we have to get word to Monzaemon."

"I agree," growled a second voice. The shadows of the forest parted slightly revealing a soft orange glow, "Go on, tell FanBeemon, and have him fly the message to them. I'll have someone keep a watch here."

The owner of the first voice rustled through the bush, trying to keep the flame on top of its head from catching the forest on fire. The owner of the second voice growled and retreated back into the forest.

888

It was night. The air was surprising cold compared to the unpleasantly warm day. The uncomfortable heat didn't help the overall mood of the digi-destined as they grumbled and griped at each other and snapped at the medics that tried to shift aching bodies and put alcohol on reopened wounds.

"Damn it, I don't need a damned glass of water!" shouted Taku as he slapped the glass out of the clawed hand of a digimon. The digimon had a feminine look to her and wore long maroon robes and a pointed witch's hat.

"Fine! Dehydrate!" snapped the witch as she swept around and stomped off. "Damn brat…"

"Shove it!" snapped Taku as flopped back on his cot.

"Please don't poke me," grumbled Ren as a soft spoken Mushmon poked her side, "It hurts…"

"I'm sorry, dear," whispered the fungi digimon as he hopped down, "I don't think it's broken, just bruised, you'll be fine as long as you don't stress yourself. We'll see if we can't get a hold of Sorcerymon or maybe one of a number of other healing digimon."

"I can do it!" growled the witch digimon.

"I know, Witchmon, but I really want to be careful, humans are different than digimon when it comes to magical healing, and I'd just rather have someone with more experience in healing, work on this," replied Mushmon as he walked down the line of cots. "Plus I already sent a Flymon off to search for Sorcerymon…"

"I have been a nurse for ten years!" yelped Witchmon. "I served in the MASH units when the Octomon tried to resurrect Dragomon!"

"I know, I know," mumbled Mushmon as he looked up at a Nanimon who had broken one its arms. "But Sorcerymon is…almost mythic...plus he has already had contact with the humans, and a Wizardmon is more likely to have a stronger healing touch."

"Chauvinist!" shouted Witchmon with a huff and she pushed past the fungi and out of the tent mumbling something about 'not getting paid enough'.

"Kisho, is that your name," whispered Mushmon as he looked up at the spiky haired human. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess," replied the boy as he looked over himself, "I'm lucky, DORUgamon took most of the blast…" he patted DORUmon, "You should be asking him how he feels?"

"Well?" Mushmon looked at the lavender raptor-like fox.

"I'm fine, most of the injuries were reverted after I de-digivolved, but I still have pains," replied the digimon quietly. "Mostly numb aches."

"I see, I see," Mushmon reached into the long white doctor's jacket he was wearing. He pulled out a bottle, "These should take out those aches…just take one every, oh, four hours until the pains go away."

"Renamon was complaining of similar pains, so was Guilmon and DemiDevimon," said DORUmon as he looked around.

"Well then I'll give each a bottle, there should be enough for the night, and tomorrow, it sounds like some sort of phantom pain," Mushmon wrote down something on a pad of paper and walked away. He turned and walked to Agumon, "You, sir, are one lucky digimon, having a house fall on you and being attacked by one of those armored monsters and still coming out of it with nothing but a few cuts and bruises…"

"Well, not completely lucky…" Agumon looked down and sighed.

"Ah, yes the human," Mushmon scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's one pain us doctors can't cure with a bottle of pills, unfortunately." Mushmon patted Agumon on the shoulder, "Don't worry, you're friends look like a determined bunch, they'll find him."

"I suppose," sighed Agumon as Mushmon walked away. The orange dinosaur slipped off the bed and walked over to where Guilmon and Haru were. "Haru…"

"What?" Haru was staring at the wrapping around his arms.

"I'm very sorry…" whispered Agumon quietly. "I tried…"

"Don't…don't say it," Haru looked down at Agumon.

"Haru…" Guilmon looked at his partner. "Please, Haru…Agumon wouldn't lie…"

"He should've digivolved," growled Haru under his breath, "Why didn't you digivolve!"

"I…" Agumon looked down, "I don't know…"

"He was in danger, they were taking him and you didn't digivolve!" shouted Haru loudly. He glared down at Agumon. "You let him get captured!"

Agumon looked up at Haru and then looked down, "I know…"

The dinosaur walked off. Guilmon looked from Agumon to Haru and pulled at his cheek with his claw. The red and black dragon then narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Haru, that's unfair." Haru looked at Guilmon and huffed. Guilmon shook his head, "No, you were wrong, Haru, you can't blame him for not being able to digivolve anymore than you can blame yourself for not being there…" The dragon grabbed Haru's hand, "You're going to go apologize!" The dragon yanked and dragged Haru across the ward to the place where Agumon had curled and was sniffling.

"Guilmon!" growled Haru.

"Haru…" Guilmon released a snarl and the pupils of his eyes turned into slits, "If you don't do it, I won't talk to you ever again!"

Haru looked at Guilmon and then at Agumon and then back at Guilmon. The digimon snorted and a puff of steam shot into Haru's face. The blonde sighed slightly and knelt down next to Agumon, "Agumon…"

"It's ok, Haru, I know it's my fault, I'll try harder next time, if you let me," whimpered the dinosaur quietly.

"No…" Haru reached out and gently rubbed the top of Agumon's head, "I'm sorry, I was unfair to you; I shouldn't have yelled so loudly at you. I was a jerk…it's just I'm really scared that Jiro will be hurt or killed or something by those guys…I was so frustrated and I took it out on you. Agumon, I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me?"

"Haru…" Agumon looked up and nodded, tears were in the dinosaur's eyes, "I'm sorry too, for not being able to save him, I know the others say it's not my fault but it is sort of, I wish I had been powerful enough to stop them…."

"Don't worry," Haru looked into Agumon's eyes, "I can feel the strength in you; you just have to find it."

Agumon nodded quietly and gave a weak smile. The flaps of the tent burst open and in flew a brown and yellow bee. It buzzed down the row of cots up to Monzaemon. It hovered quietly at Monzaemon's ear. Monzaemon narrowed his eyes and nodded. The bee buzzed something and Monzaemon nodded and the bee flew off. The teddy bear stood up and walked towards the other children.

Haru stood up and with Agumon and Guilmon joined the others. The bear looked at Haru and then at the others. He let out a little sigh and then sat down slowly on the floor.

"I have some news," said Monzaemon. The bear put its paw on its head and rubbed back and forth. Monzaemon looked at Haru. "Your brother, he was found. They reported him entering a prison complex known as the Factory an hour or so ago."

"We have to get there, fast!" Haru turned to leave but Monzaemon held the boy back.

"The Factory is heavily protected…" said Monzaemon. The bear sighed again, "To go there alone would be suicide…"

"He won't be going alone," said Kisho as he looked at Haru, "He'll have us with him."

"You don't understand, the Factory…" Monzaemon narrowed his eyes, "it's too heavily protected. I can't let you go by yourselves."

The children glared at the teddy bear. Taku stood and held DemiDevimon. "Look, we're getting Jiro back, and you can't stop us!" Haru glanced up in surprise at Taku. He looked to Haru and, with an almost encouraging look, he nodded to Haru. "We don't let those who are part of our little family get carted off without a fight."

Monzaemon growled in frustration. "Fine, but I implore you to wait till morning; I will come with you, with what I have left of my men…"

"But…Jiro!" Haru looked at the others and winced as his arm tightened.

"Jiro is tough, he'll be ok," said Taku. Haru glared at Taku but the dark haired boy only matched his glare, "You don't give your brother enough credit, while we were knocked out he was scrambling towards us to _help us_, I think he can handle being in a jail cell."

"Haru, please, we may need the help!" Guilmon tugged gently at Haru's shirt.

"Fine!" growled Haru. He looked up at Monzaemon, "But we are out of here by daybreak!"

"Agreed," Monzaemon nodded, stood and returned to his cot.

Haru returned to his cot and laid down. Guilmon walked over and laid his head on the cot next to Haru. Agumon walked slowly on the other side of Haru's cot and laid his head next to Haru. Haru's hands lifted and rubbed the two digimons' heads.

"We should get some rest," Kisho whispered as he sat down on his bed and laid down. DORUmon laid his head next to Kisho. The boy petted DORUmon's head softly. "We have a long day tomorrow."

Ren and Taku nodded and slipped into their cots and laid their heads down, Renamon and DemiDevimon at their sides.

888

Jiro looked up at the ceiling. He shivered a little and then listened to his cellmate's gargled snoring. His cellmate was a goblin like digimon but Jiro didn't really care. He looked up at the tiny barred window and saw a single star twinkle in the night sky.

"I hope you're ok, brother," whispered Jiro as he sniffled and tried to restrain a burning sensation in his tear ducts. "I hope you get here soon, I'm scared."

Jiro's cellmate growled and shifted above him on the bunk bed. Jiro hiccupped and then drew the thin, grey blanket over his chin and slammed his eyes shut, hoping to force himself to sleep.

**888**

**I'm sorry for not posting for such a long time, I got tied up with other things at school and then home, and then I got a little over interested in _Shadows_ so it took a bit. Actually I'm terrified as to how the next chapter will go. This chapter, I feel have its ups and downs, but works for how things go. Next chapter I fear will be a monster, with all the closing up plot points. **

**Dark Qiviut: Well this chapter wasn't really meaty, more of a filler-setup chapter, next chapter will be, I think, beefy, at least that how my mental notes have it set as…but it won't be the conclusion of the main intro-arc, guess I shouldn't have said that…but really I feel there is a lot left to do still, for some reason. **


	11. The Factory

**I don't own Digimon**

**The Factory**

**888**

"The Factory is only a few hectometers from here," whispered a flaming man.

It was now early morning, and upon Haru's insistence the digi-destined and Monzaemon had started to walk towards the Factory. They had spent most of the twilight hours of semi-dawn stumbling through forests and streams. Ren had fallen into a hole at one point, much to Haru's annoyance and Taku had nearly walked into a patrol of golden Armadillomon. Kisho had fallen into a small river through the trek.

Monzaemon had said they were getting close when they were ambushed by Meramon's allies, mostly strange digimon called Candlemon. They had led the children to their rebel leader. The fiery man was surprisingly kind and had provided the Digi-destined, their digimon and Monzaemon and his men with a breakfast of tubers and berries. After breakfast Meramon led them to a cave, where they were now discussing the situation.

"What about Jiro?" Agumon asked anxiously. The orange tyrannosaur looked up at Meramon worriedly.

"According to intelligence, they are loading a prisoner carriage," replied the flaming man, "Though the carriage has red décor…suggesting it's going to Infinity Mountain…the only prisoner that have come into the Factory recently that would warrant going to Infinity Mountain's dungeon is…the digi-destined child…"

"Then we have to stop them before they leave!" Haru jumped to his feet and put his hands on the rock table they were sitting around. "We have to go now!"

"Wait…we don't even know what kind of defenses they have!" Taku looked up at Haru with his coal colored eyes.

"It doesn't matter," growled Haru loudly, "If you're too scared to do it, Taku, you can stay back here and sulk!"

"You idiot!" Taku glared at Haru. "It will do your brother no good, if we commit suicide trying to save him! Now sit down, and shut up!"

"Both of you; please…" Ren closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. "Stop fighting…"

"We have to stand together," Kisho looked up, "I know you two don't get along, but if we're going to get Jiro back, we have to at least seem like we're on the same side…"

Haru glared at Kisho for a few minutes before sitting back down. Taku and Haru exchanged looks of anger and then looked up at Meramon.

"Right…" the humanoid torch blinked and looked at Monzaemon. The bear only nodded for the flame to continue. "Well, first we need to deal with the perimeter guards, Allomon, and Stegomon…"

888

"Move him along…" growled the red centaur as he roared at a group of blue, bipedal, mini-dragons.

The little dragons pushed a small boy forward. He was blonde and had brown eyes. Heavy, metal shackles tightly encircled his small wrists. A ghostly cactus in a poncho was giggling as he followed the small, blue dragons.

"Oh, Lord Baronmon will be most pleased!" the cactus chortled.

He hovered forward and pushed open large, cement doors. All of those inside the building turned their heads away as the room was flooded with brilliant morning sunlight.

"Thisss fool, he isss the one that will gain Baronmon'sss favor…?" hissed a scarecrow with a crow sitting on its shoulder. "Only luck hasss brought the child into hisss grasssp…"

"We will gain true favor…when we destroy the rest of the digi-destined," replied the centaur quietly. The scarecrow looked up in shock at the centaur. "Oh, Nohemon, you don't think they are destroyed; if the meekest of them survived then the others have as well."

"But to sssspeak againsssst Baronmon sssso bluntly, Ssssagittarimon…" replied the scarecrow as he looked at the red armored beast.

"I only speak the truth," the centaur watched as the group of small dragons pushed the boy towards a large carriage with barred windows. "You Veemon, hurry it up!"

The little dragons straightened and pushed the boy even harder and he fell in front of the carriage. The boy grunted loudly.

"Pick him up!" shouted the cactus. "Don't scuff him up, you overgrown geckos!"

Sagittarimon and Nohemon looked at each other and shook their heads. The boy was hoisted up and thrown into the carriage. A pair of red, feathered, gryphons with large wing shaped, helmets on their heads were tied to the front of the carriage. A flame armored, blue skinned dragon was holding the reigns.

"Ponchomon, is he in yet?" growled the dragon.

The poncho wearing, ghost cactus looked up, "Yes, Flamedramon, stop growling, I'm coming…"

"Both of them are fools," growled Sagittarimon. The centaur paused and turned slightly as a lithe demon man appeared out of the shadows. The centaur archer looked up, "Yashamon?"

"They are here," said the demon quietly. "And they've brought friends…"

"Magma Bombs!" balls of liquid fire fell out of the sky.

Ponchomon squealed in terror as he scooted around the carriage. Sagittarimon and Nohemon narrowed their eyes. Sagittarimon extended his right arm and a bow flicked out of the arm's armor. The centaur drew as arrow back.

"GO!" shouted Sagittarimon loudly at Flamedramon. The fire dragon nodded and flicked the reigns.

"Yah!" growled the dragon.

"Wait for me!" snarled Ponchomon as he grabbed onto the side of the carriage.

"Well, if you'd have hurried up!" shouted Flamedramon as the carriage lifted into the air.

The forest exploded open ejecting a large, blue skinned allosaur into the open field in front of the Factory. Its feathered headdress was slightly torched. There was a second roar and a large, green stegosaur. The beast growled loudly and flashed its tail forward releasing a spray of spikes.

"Twin Neptune!" roared a voice as blue pulses of water exploded into the spikes. A large, red lobster scrambled from the brush.

"Crash Charge!" roared a second voice as a blast of electricity crashed into the allosaur's jaw.

The canopy of the forest ruptured as two winged creatures took flight. One was a furred, fox/dragon hybrid; the other a grey dragon with a tattoo of crossed swords on its chest. A pair of laser beams sliced through the forest and exploded into the walls of the Factory. Bombs flew from the bushes and detonated across the field.

"The digi-destined…" growled Sagittarimon.

He lifted his bow arm and fired an arrow. It streaked through air as a comet of lavender energy that exploded into the foliage.

A large, yellow skinned, dinosaur cyborg with huge metal wings attached to a blue, metal torso charged forward. It drew back and the front of its torso opened and two missiles fired forward.

"William'ssss Arrow!" hissed Nohemon as he quickly fired a projectile of him own.

Yashamon disappeared in a flash and was bounding across the battlefield; his new and improved metallic katanas were in his hands, which were held out to his sides. The llama-headed demon man was rushing towards the lobster.

"Ebidramon!" screamed a voice. A young girl ran from the forest, "watch out!"

The lobster turned and found the demon closing on it faster than it could get out of the way. Its large claws rose up defensively as the demon sped up.

"Gordian Knot!" roared Yashamon as a spiraling wind spun around the metallic blades of his katanas.

"Lobster Step!" the claws of the crustacean glowed as they struck against the wind enhanced swords of Yashamon.

Yashamon leapt backward as the contact of his swords striking the claws reflected his forward momentum back towards him. Yashamon hit the ground skidding in reverse as the lobster pointed the claws at him.

"Twin Neptune!" roared the lobster as water pellets fired forward Yashamon leapt high into the air, spinning. He crossed his swords and pushed them forward flinging the swords' collected chi wind back toward Ebidramon.

The lobster roared as the wind slammed into its broadside and sent it rolling back across the battlefield. The human girl cried loudly and started to run forward. Yashamon smirked and directed his decent into a dive towards the child.

"Ren!" shouted another voice as a boy ran out of the forest.

He had brown hair and wore a pair of green goggles. He was followed by two other humans and an Agumon. One of the humans was a blonde, like the captured child, the other a black haired boy.

"Power Metal!" roared the gray furred fox/dragon. A golden metal ball crashed into Yashamon as he descended slamming the demon into the ground and producing a crater.

"V Laser!" A stream of energy in the shape of an X slammed into the chest of the large allosaur causing the giant, prehistoric predator to stagger backward.

"Guillotine Wheel!" roared the stegosaur as it rolled into a ball and spun forward, the sharp, plate blades on its spine whirring into a single buzz saw.

"Crash Charge!" roared the cyborg dinosaur as it fired a blast of electrical energy into the spinning death wheel.

"Magma Bombs!" growled the voice of another contributor to the attack as a flaming man ran toward the gates of the Factory.

A huge, golden teddy bear snarled forward firing beams of crimson energy from its eyes. Sagittarimon and Nohemon looked at each other and nodded. Nohemon ran towards the flaming man and Sagittarimon galloped toward the bear.

888

Ren looked up as DORUgamon blindsided Yashamon with one of his attacks. Kisho and the others were running after her as well. She looked up and paled as a spinning blade buzzed towards her. The blade sliced through a blast from Raptordramon and ExVeemon was busy with Allomon. Ren gulped as the blade closed in.

"Lobster Step!" red armor filled her vision as her partner swept between her and the blade.

Ebidramon's claws glowed as the lobster dragon grabbed Stegomon in mid-spin. There was a loud grinding sound as Stegomon spun in place. Plumes of friction born smoke rose up from the claws as Ebidramon tossed Stegomon back in the direction it had come.

"Are you ok, Ebidramon?" Ren ran to the lobster.

"If I'd held Stegomon any longer, you'd be serving my claws with butter," replied the lobster as it blew on its smoking claws.

"Ren, come on…" Kisho reached out for the girl's arm, "It's not safe here!"

"But Ebidramon…" Ren looked back at the goggle wearing boy.

"Ebidramon is a big mon now…she can take care of herself," replied the boy.

"No…" Kisho and Ren turned. Haru was looking up at the sky, where the carriage was retreating towards Infinity Mountain. "They're getting away!"

"ExVeemon!" shouted Taku loudly, "You can fly the fastest, try and catch that carriage!"

"Right!" shouted ExVeemon as he slammed a fist into the jaw of Allomon. The blue dinosaur crashed onto its back and the dragon turned and flew after the carriage.

"DORUgamon!" called Kisho loudly, "Bust the gates open, it's time we freed these guys!"

"I got it under control," shouted the gray furred digimon as it turned and opened his mouth, "Cannonball!" A lead ball exploded into the doors of the Factory shattering them.

"Raptordramon…go, help ExVeemon!" shouted Haru loudly as the large cyborg dinosaur crashed into the side of Stegomon sending the large beast crashing into a rising Allomon.

"Not so fast!" shouted a voice. A blur shot from the crater in the ground. Seconds later Raptordramon was howling as a gash cut across his metal chest.

"Yashamon…" whispered the children as the demon digimon appeared behind the large, cybernetic dragon.

888

"Get back here you cowards!" roared ExVeemon as he pushed through the air after the carriage.

Ponchomon looked over at Flamedramon and then back over the top of the carriage at the coming dragon. ExVeemon's gray skin tensed as the dragon flew forward.

"We gotta do something!" whimpered Ponchomon, "He's gaining on us!"

"We could always lose some weight," Flamedramon snarled as he glared at Ponchomon.

"Are you kidding!" yelped the cactus ghost. "Not on your life!"

"V-Laser!" a cross of energy sliced in front of the Halsemon; causing the gryphons.

Flamedramon growled quietly, "Just go away; don't make me go back there…"

"V Laser!" another cross of light sliced in front of them.

"Ponchomon, take the reigns…" Flamedramon tossed the rawhide ropes to the cactus, "and for crying out loud, keep it even!"

"Oh, oh, ok…" gulped Ponchomon as he held the reigns. "Now, be nice Halsemon…I've never really done this before…"

"I've got to be crazy…" growled Flamedramon as he hopped up on top of the carriage.

"Flamedramon!" shouted the gray dragon as it flew behind the carriage, "stop the carriage, Jiro is in there!"

"What's your point?" growled Flamedramon loudly, "The human is ours!"

"What?" the dragon snarled loudly and flapped its wings trying to push itself closer to the carriage. "You're supposed to be helping…"

Flamedramon narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a fool; I've been a double agent this whole time. Who do you think told Armored Command about the digi-destined's attack against Task Force Beta?"

ExVeemon gasped loudly as Flamedramon lifted its flame-painted gauntlets.

"You can't do this!" roared ExVeemon. "You can't betray your friends from Toy Town…"

"If you haven't noticed," Flamedramon slid his feet into a sturdier position, "Toy Town is gone…just like you will be!" Flamedramon's gauntlets glowed with flame, "Fire Knuckle!"

The fire dragon punched forward releasing six balls of fire that crashed into the surprised ExVeemon. The gray dragon yowled as he tumbled backward through the air. Flamedramon turned and walked back over the roof of the carriage and slid back down onto the driver's bench next to Ponchomon.

"Did that ExVeemon tell the truth?" The cactus looked angrily at Flamedramon.

"I told him; I was a double agent," Flamedramon looked at Ponchomon, "I hope you believe me…We're very far above the ground…"

"You wouldn't dare…" Ponchomon growled.

Claws grabbed Ponchomon by the neck of his poncho. "Don't try my patience…"

Ponchomon gulped and nodded feverishly, "I trust you; I trust you!"

"Good…" growled Flamedramon as he let Ponchomon go and returned his hands to the reigns. "YAH!" the reigns snapped and the Halsemon charged through the air even faster.

888

"DORUgamon!" yelped Kisho as Yashamon sent the large, winged beast crashing into the wall of the Factory. The white faced demon turned and smirked as he slowly sheathed his metal blades.

"I hurt your little tin soldier…" The demon's ears twitched, "Isn't that sad…?"

"You beast!" growled Haru loudly.

Yashamon disappeared, but seconds later he was back and Haru was lifted off the ground as the llama demon grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Never, ever, call me a beast…you little insect!"

"Leave him be!" roared Raptordramon.

The dinosaur cyborg stood up, but the hydraulic joints in the digimon's thighs hissed loudly and released liquid and Raptordramon dropped back to the ground. Ebidramon charged forward, but Yashamon tossed Haru to the ground and leapt away as the lobster crashed its claw on the ground.

Across the field, Monzaemon was trading blows with Sagittarimon. The centaur's lower center of gravity gave him the advantage of being very difficult to lift, and he used that as he charged forward and picked up Monzaemon and tossed the golden bear over his shoulder. Meramon had torched Nohemon's hat and the animated scarecrow was feverishly patting flames that had erupted on his shirt. Stegomon and Allomon were busy trying to stop Monzaemon's Nanimon troops and some of Meramon's Candlemon from invading the prison complex.

Yashamon turned and launched forward towards Ebidramon. The large lobster growled as she held the blades of the demon back. The crustacean groaned as she was pushed back and her pronged feet slid through the soil.

"Ebidramon…" Ren looked up. "Hold on, just a little longer…"

"DORUgamon, get up!" shouted Kisho loudly. The gray furred, fox/dragon only grumbled slightly as it lay against the wall of the prison.

"Raptordramon?" Haru looked up at the yellow scaled, cyborg, but streaks of electricity coursed through the cyborg's armor.

"Don't worry, Ebidramon, I'm coming!" shouted a small voice as an orange tyrannosaur.

"Agumon!" shouted Haru loudly as the little tyrannosaur ran past.

"Hey Yashamon, you're nothing but a mean old, mindless beast!" shouted the little digimon loudly.

Yashamon snorted and turned his head as a ball of flame smashed into his head. Ebidramon smirked and with a thrust from her claws pushed Yashamon backward.

"Nice shot!" shouted Kisho. Agumon smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"You little, nuisance!" snarled Yashamon as he shot toward Agumon.

"Agumon, watch out!" yelped Ren.

"Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon fired spitfire bursts of water into the green chest mail of Yashamon. The demon staggered back and then leapt into the sky.

"Bad move…" growled a voice from above.

Yashamon looked up as a large gray dragon dove down out of the clouds. "Where'd you…?"

"Critical Crunch!" a ham-like fist smashed into Yashamon's face and the demon dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

Yashamon rolled across the ground when ExVeemon crashed down with his large, clawed feet. Yashamon stood up slowly balancing himself on a sword. ExVeemon turned and growled as he looked at Yashamon.

"Nice, punch…" murmured Yashamon as he swept his hand across his lip.

"Then have another!" roared ExVeemon as he leapt forward. Yashamon leapt backward and clasped his sword tightly.

"Gordian Knot!" Yashamon's sword flashed forward releasing the winding wind around its blade. ExVeemon opened his wings and pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"V Laser!" roared the dragon as the golden energy stream tore forward. The sword wind was crushed against the golden cross and repelled back. Yashamon's eyes widened as the X of energy closed in.

Ren closed her eyes tight. The light faded and Ren opened her eyes to find a single sword stabbed into the ground in front of her. The metal weapon dissolved into dust quietly.

"ExVeemon!" shouted Haru loudly as he ran to the dragon, "Where's Jiro?"

"I'm sorry, Haru," the dragon responded quietly, "they got away, Flamedramon double-crossed us."

Haru looked up at the dragon. The blue in his eyes faded and he fell to his knees. His face showed no emotion whatsoever. He just stared blankly into the distance.

"Haru…" Raptordramon crawled forward and slowly fizzled to Guilmon. "Haru…"

"I failed him…" whispered Haru quietly.

"Now's not the time for this!" shouted Taku loudly. "ExVeemon go help Monzaemon!"

"Ok…Taku…" The dragon nodded and took off. Taku looked at Kisho harshly as the boy walked up to Haru and knelt down next to the blonde.

"Haru…come on, let's get out of the way…" whispered Kisho quietly.

"No…" Haru looked at the ground. Haru bit his lip and closed his eyes. "Jiro's gone…isn't he; we're not going to get him back are we?"

"No…we'll find him," Kisho whispered and shook his head, "We'll find him no matter what, they can't stop us, not if we work together…"

"Haru…it's ok if you're sad…" Ren walked forward, "but we can't give up…we have to free the others…We'll get the people that did this to Jiro."

"Come on Haru, you and Guilmon can come with me," Agumon put his clawed hand on Haru's shoulder.

Haru only nodded his head absently and stood up. Guilmon and Agumon led him back into the bushes. Kisho looked at Taku and then at Ren.

"It's up to us now…" Kisho looked up, "DORUgamon, are you ok?"

"I still have some butterflies in my head," DORUgamon shook his head. The large winged beast stood up.

"Ok, DORUgamon, let's get in that prison and break out the prisoners!" Kisho looked back at the receding form of Haru, Guilmon and Agumon and then ran towards the prison.

"Ebidramon, let's help the Nanimon out," Ren looked at the lobster dragon. "Come on…"

"Are you sure, Ren? Maybe you should go with Haru?" the dragon growled.

"Haru needs time to himself I think, and Guilmon and Agumon are with him…" Ren looked over to them as Haru disappeared into the bushes. "They'll be at the rendezvous point…don't worry…"

888

The walls exploded as DORUgamon crashed through the cement and steel structure. The gray furred creature snarled and swept his tail around to knock the swarm of Veemon and Armadillomon that were rushing forward.

"Well that was easier than I thought it'd be…" Kisho replied quietly as he stepped over the rubble.

"Who's that rapping on my parlor door?" growled a mechanical voice. Two glowing eyes appeared from a large door way on the far end of the entry gap between battlements. "Crazy Crane!"

"What the…?" Kisho looked up. He saw something whipping forward out of the shadows and instantly dropped to the floor. "ACK GET DOWN!"

The long, titanium rope of a crane shot forward. DORUgamon moved back, but the blunt end of the hook, at the terminus of the rope smacked the digimon in the chest. DORUgamon crashed against the wall behind him and shook his head.

"Awe, come on…" growled DORUgamon. "This so isn't fair…"

"Who's there?" shouted Kisho loudly.

There was a loud rumble of an engine. A large figure rolled forward on large, triangular tract wheels. A small, acorn-like head topped a yellow body machine body that had a grill on its chest. One arm was a forklift, the other was a backhoe. On its back was a large crane that was retracting a long, hooked cord.

"I am Kenkimon, the armored construction digimon," announced the machine loudly, "but since your enemies of Lord Baronmon I'll deconstruct you!"

"He's…" Kisho gulped, "tough looking…"

"Hyper Bulldozer!" shouted the machine and the backhoe arm shot forward and slammed into DORUgamon driving him through the wall of the prison's battlements.

"DORUgamon!" Kisho ran for his partner as Kenkimon rolled forward. The crane on Kenkimon's back started to spin again.

"Kisho get out of there…" growled DORUgamon as he struggled forward.

"Crazy Crane!" the crane hook slingshot forward.

"KISHO!" DORUgamon dove between the hook and the goggle head. The hook crashed into DORUgamon's sternum sending the digimon crashing against another wall.

"We can't do this alone…" Kisho looked up at DORUgamon. "We have to retreat…"

"Just a second…" grumbled DORUgamon, "Let me…get my heart out of my spine first…"

DORUgamon got up slowly and grabbed up Kisho and dove through the hole Kenkimon had punched him through earlier.

"Come on you insane industry droid!" shouted Kisho loudly, "Come get us!"

Kenkimon rumbled loudly as it hit the gas and gunned forward crashing through a wall of the Factory. Groups of Nanimon inched around Kenkimon as the construction digimon. The large yellow machine swiveled its torso around as the Nanimon ran into the prison.

"We're your enemy, Kenkimon!" shouted Kisho.

"Power Metal!" roared DORUgamon as a golden ball crashed against Kenkimon's metal frame.

Kenkimon turned around and shot his backhoe arm forward but DORUgamon was faster and took flight. Allomon was backing away from the prison as Ebidramon slammed Stegomon into the ground. The stegosaur roared loudly and then dispersed into data dust. A large lobster marched forward, with a girl following behind. Ebidramon pointed her clawed hand up at Allomon.

"Dino Burst!" roared the dinosaur as it belched a fire ball at the lobster, which slashed through it with a claw.

"Let me put that heart burn out for you Allomon," growled Ebidramon as she pointed her claws upward, "Twin Neptune!" Allomon roared loudly as the water bullets exploded around his body. The dinosaur exploded into dust as Ebidramon turned. "Kisho, DORUgamon, are you guys ok?"

"We've felt better…" grunted DORUgamon.

"Watch out, Ebidramon, this guy is tough," called Kisho loudly.

"Ren, stay behind me," directed the lobster as it turned.

"Where's ExVeemon?" shouted Kisho down to Ren.

"He and Taku are still dealing with Sagittarimon!" called Ren in reply.

"Then we're taking on the machine on our own…" Kisho looked down at Kenkimon.

888

"Justice Arrow!" A streak of lavender energy flew from Sagittarimon's bow.

"Critical Crunch!" ExVeemon dove out of the sky and punched the arrow's shaft, shattering it in midair. Monzaemon was charging forward with his fists bared.

"Meteor Gallop!" roared Sagittarimon loudly as he crashed his hooves on the ground.

A blast of flame shot up and knocked Monzaemon backward. A stitch on the giant bear's shoulder tore. The bear growled as he held the ripped arm. Bits of fluff fell out of the wound and Monzaemon winced hard.

"Monzaemon, are you ok?" ExVeemon looked at the bear.

"I'm…ok…" growled Monzaemon as more fluff leaked from his stuffed body.

"Awe, is the big bear falling apart?" growled Sagittarimon quietly as he lifted another arrow.

"I'm holding together good enough to do this!" roared Monzaemon as his eyes glowed and fired crimson lasers at the centaur. "I'd be more worried about your friend, Nohemon…"

"What?" Sagittarimon turned around to find Nohemon burning.

Meramon was laying in merciless, flaming punches into the scarecrow. The crow on its shoulder tried to take off but Meramon slapped it to the ground. Sagittarimon roared loudly and fired an arrow in Meramon's direction. The humanoid torch swung around and lobbed a large fireball at the arrow forcing the projectile to explode. Meramon then turned and opened his hand to Nohemon's crow.

"Surrender!" demanded Meramon loudly as the flames swam around his palm.

"Never!" rasped the scarecrow, "I am an Armored digimon, I don't surrender to scum like you!" Nohemon's crow squawked and lifted its claws, "Derision…"

A stream of flame shot forward from Meramon's palm and the crow squawked and screeched as it was toasted. Nohemon's scarecrow body exploded into dust.

Sagittarimon looked back and forth at Meramon and then at Monzaemon. The centaur growled softly and backed up. Monzaemon's eyes glowed softly; Meramon was gently tossing a fireball up and down in his hand.

"Surrender," growled Meramon quietly as he eyed Sagittarimon. "You can't think of surviving a fight between us."

"I am an Armored digimon of the highest order!" shouted Sagittarimon loudly, "I can take care of any pathetic, normal digimon…"

"That old dogma again," snorted Monzaemon loudly.

"Look who's talking, Paddington," growled Sagittarimon as he pointed at the tear on the bear's arm.

"This is stupid, blast him already!" Taku shouted from a distance, "Just finish it!"

"Taku!" Monzaemon glared down at the boy.

"We must give him the chance to surrender!" Meramon looked at Sagittarimon, "Surrender!"

"Fools, why would I wish to surrender to you…?" Sagittarimon lifted his bow and pointed it at Taku and drew an arrow over the bowstring. "Let me show you how badly I want to be close I am to surrendering….JUSTICE…."

"Red Flame!" Meramon instinctually flashed his hand forward releasing a torrent of crimson flames onto the red armored centaur.

"V Laser!" ExVeemon unleashed a stream of golden energy down on Sagittarimon.

Monzaemon's eyes flashed red and stream of red light exploded forward. An arrow bounced to the ground and exploded into dust. Taku looked at the digimon. The three of them looked at the scorched earth where Sagittarimon was standing. They all had sad eyes; they then looked up at Taku.

"What is it?" Taku looked at the three digimon in shock, "You weren't sad before, when you destroyed other digimon, you guys are hypocrites!"

"We could've captured him, subdued him," Monzaemon looked at Taku as he walked forward.

"He was going to kill me!" shouted Taku loudly. He looked up at ExVeemon.

"That's why he was destroyed," ExVeemon landed next to Taku.

"ExVeemon I'm confused…" Taku looked up. "I thought this was war?"

"All I can say, is even in war, there are chances to save life…" ExVeemon replied as he walked past, leaving Taku behind.

"We must help the others," Meramon looked up and saw DORUgamon diving out of the way of a crane hook.

"Kenkimon…" Monzaemon growled as he ran forward.

888

"Hyper Bulldozer!" A backhoe crashed against Ebidramon's claws. Ebidramon bounced backward and crashed to the ground.

"Power Metal!" Golden energy metal balls crashed down around the large construction vehicle.

The torso of the beast spun around and the crane on its back whipped forward sending its hook flying toward DORUgamon as the winged beast scrambled higher into the air.

"Run!" shouted Kenkimon, "Coward!"

"Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon fired blasts of water at Kenkimon. The metal digimon swung its forklift arm forward to shield his body.

"V Laser!" a cross of energy crashed into Kenkimon. The large metal digimon scrolled backward slightly as ExVeemon flew by.

Red lasers exploded into Kenkimon. Scorch marks followed crimson flames that slashed across Kenkimon's metal frame. Kenkimon snorted and used his forklift as a shield again.

"Surrender, Kenkimon!" shouted Monzaemon loudly.

"I shall not leave my post, this prison is my construction, I shall not let you take me from it!" returned Kenkimon.

The large machine shot its backhoe arm forward at Monzaemon. The large bear leapt to one side to evade the attack.

"If you won't surrender you'll have to be destroyed!" shouted Meramon loudly.

"Try to destroy me, and I'll leave you in rubble!" rumbled Kenkimon as he flung her hook forward letting it exploded into the ground in front of Meramon.

The fiery man nodded swiftly. DORUgamon and ExVeemon dove down from the sky. DORUgamon fired a metal ball into Kenkimon's head. ExVeemon drilled a fist into Kenkimon's grill. Ebidramon fired a stream of blue bolts at Kenkimon as Monzaemon fired his eyes laser through the metal creature. Meramon growled and thrust his arms upwards releasing bursts of liquid flame into the air that crashed down on Kenkimon. The metal frame of Kenkimon burned bright white. There was mechanical whine and then an explosion.

"What was that?" shouted Kisho loudly.

"I think his engine overheated…" Ren replied as she walked forward.

"Come out, it's safe…no one will hurt you…" shouted Monzaemon as he looked over at the beaten prison walls.

Eyes were looking out through the holes, DORUgamon and Kenkimon had made. Groups of digimon appeared from the prison. Tattered rags covered their nearly stick like bodies. Some of them were bleeding from sickening sores, with puss and other forms of bodily ooze erupting from their pierced and slashed bodies.

Ren looked at them all and put her hands to her mouth, "They…they…"

Ebidramon glowed, reverting to Renamon and walked up behind Ren and held her close as the girl buried her face in the vixen's fur.

DemiDevimon sat on Taku's head. The boy's black eyes were nearly burning with anger as the living corpses of tortured digimon staggered into the late morning light. Kisho and DORUmon were standing a few meters away from Taku. Kisho's face was stoic and had sharp lines, where before they were soft and round.

"This is…unforgivable…" whispered Ren quietly into Renamon's fur.

"It is…war…" whispered Renamon quietly.

A group of Nanimon was pushing Veemon and Armadillomon forward. Monzaemon and Meramon walked over to the digimon.

"Are you surrendering?" growled Monzaemon.

"Yesh…" replied one of the Veemon with a nod. "All of us…"

"Take them to the camp…put them under guard," said Meramon loudly. "Make sure they get some bread and some water…"

"We need to get back to Haru…" Kisho looked at DORUmon, "Come on…"

"Shouldn't we wait for Monzaemon?" DORUmon looked up but Kisho's brown eyes looked like recently frozen earth.

"No, we need to leave this place…" Kisho replied blankly as he walked back toward the forest.

Taku walked next to Kisho. Renamon and Ren were walking behind the boys, with DORUmon.

888

"Damn it…" Taku shouted as he sat by the large rock outcropping by the spring. "He was supposed to be here!"

"Maybe he got lost," whispered Ren, "He was pretty upset…"

"No, Guilmon and Agumon could've found this place blindfolded and with earplugs," Renamon looked at the ground. "They were here…they left…going east…"

"How long ago…?" Kisho looked at the fox intently.

"Probably not soon after they arrived here, before Allomon and Stegomon's deletion…" Renamon narrowed her eyes. "This part of the island is filled with caves, hiding trees, and crisscrossing streams…they could be anywhere, and it would be near impossible to find them…even my nose can't penetrate the funk of the swamp scum coming from that bog by Meramon's cave station…"

"I know where he's going," DORUmon looked up. "It's the only place he could be going…you said they went east…"

Renamon narrowed her eyes, "He'll be killed…we have to catch up to him before he gets to where he is going!"

"Where is he going?" Ren looked at Renamon with urgency.

"Infinity Mountain…" was Renamon reply.

**888**

**AN: I'm back, you know what that means, In the Shadow of Chaos is over, which means I'm likely to focus on this fic. **


	12. Rewards and Reactions

**I don't own digimon**

**Rewards and Reactions**

**888**

"Lord…Lord…Baronmon?" asked a small voice from the front of the throne room.

Baronmon was standing on the far side of the room; looking at a wall of objects. Each was about the size of an ostrich egg. Each had a different shape and design; one was a horned, 'egg' with flames, another looked like a flip flop, yet another looked like a green hill with a shuriken glued to its base. These objects were the digimentals, the very things that empowered Baronmon's army. Baronmon turned his head slightly and grimaced.

"Yes…Ponchomon…" Baronmon sighed as he turned. "What is it you want?"

"Well…" the cactus phantom gulped before sliding completely into the room. "I was just here to tell you, we brought the child…"

Baronmon's eyes widened and gnarled toothed smirk played over his lips, "And…"

"I thought you'd like to see him," Ponchomon was fidgeting with his beige clothing, "he's being put into the prison as we speak…" The cactus looked up, "Did I mention I was the one that captured him!"

"I believe Sagittarimon made that very clear," grumbled Baronmon quietly. His blue face crinkled into another grimace as he held his stomach. The green robed demon dropped to his knees.

"Lord Baronmon, are you ok?" yelped Ponchomon loudly.

"I am fine…" growled the red cloaked digimon. "Just…some…indigestion…"

"It looks severe, my lor…"

"Silence!" growled Baronmon loudly. Ponchomon yelped and flattened himself against the closed door behind him. Baronmon closed his eyes and gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. "I am fine. I will see the boy…soon, when I have fully recovered."

"Yes, my lord," Ponchomon hesitantly bowed as he slowly reached for the doorknob.

"Ponchomon…" Baronmon looked at the poncho wearing cactus specter. "Will you please call forth Flamedramon, I wish to speak to him as well…he deserves a reward…"

"Him?" Ponchomon looked up in shock, "My…lord…be-before I go…" Ponchomon slowly twisted his barbed wire gloves around each other. "I was wondering…"

"Ponchomon, you ran from a fight with the digi-destined, as I have heard from Pteranomon surveillance forces, Task Force Beta is gone," Baronmon walked slowly to the large, gold and ebony throne and walked up the single step dais to the seat. He turned and gently sliding his cloak from under his bum, sat down, "They could've used your assistance…"

"But my lord, I captured the human…" Ponchomon pleaded as he bowed his head.

"I am fully aware of the captive state of the human," growled Baronmon as his cold, black eyes stared down at Ponchomon. "Your reward is existence; desertion is a serious offence, Ponchomon. Do not press your luck with me…"

"Yes my lord, I was just hoping…" the cactus looked down and the large, floppy sombrero on its head flopped over his eyes.

Baronmon sighed loudly as a twinge of sympathy shot through the baron's heart, "Fine…how about I give you a transfer…to a small command position…"

"Command?" Ponchomon looked up, stars gleamed in his eyes.

"Yes, command," Baronmon murmured in a half growl. He put his hand over his mouth and coughed slightly, "I'm as shocked as you are…"

"What was that, my lord?" asked Ponchomon quickly.

"Oh, I said 'I was quite surprised at how nice a commander you are'," replied Baronmon with a wave of his hand, "You shall be Armored Command's liaison to the Bakemon village…"

"That's a command…?" Ponchomon looked up quizzically.

"You could always be put on the frontlines in the glacial expanse to the north," Baronmon quietly replied as he looked at the cactus. "I'm sure Ornyxmon would be most pleased with reinforcements…"

"No…no…that's quite ok, I'll take the position in the Bakemon village," Ponchomon replied quickly. "How many forces will I be taking, and what level?"

"Oh, I suspect, five Veemon would be enough, and I suspect you'll need an assistant," Baronmon sighed and clicked his tongue, "Take HoneyBeemon."

"Oh thank you, my lord, you are most generous…" Ponchomon bowed quickly, his hat flopping up and down spastically.

"Now go!" Baronmon growled loudly.

"Yes my lord," Ponchomon bowed again.

"NOW!" roared Baronmon loudly. The wizard glared and a ribbon of crimson hair shot forward and whipped the door behind Ponchomon open, while a second ribbon flew forward and pushed the poncho wearing digimon through the opened portal. The first ribbon slammed the door behind the cactus. The hairs disappeared back within Baronmon's green robes. Baronmon's eyes narrowed and he growled between gnarled teeth, "Irritable, little, weed…"

888

Jiro blinked and rubbed his eyes as the doors to the prison carriage opened. A child sized hawk was standing in the door. It growled and hopped in. It walked up to him and grumbled as he put a key into the paddle lock that attached Jiro's chains to the wall of the carriage. Jiro's arms fell forward and he fidgeted as he tried to stretch them out.

"Move on twerp!" growled a crimson feathered hawk. The hawk pushed Jiro's back, hard, and forced him to his knees. "Get up!"

"I would…but I would have to if you wouldn't push me down…" A slap cracked across the back of Jiro's head before he could finish his sentence. The boy fell to the floor of the carriage.

"I said, 'Get up!'" growled the hawk loudly.

Jiro closed his head and sniffed loudly and stood up shakily and started to walk towards the door of the carriage. The sun was high in the sky; it was sunnier than it seemed it should be. It had to be near noon; Jiro's stomach snarled but it had been doing it all day; they had neglected to feed him before he was taken aboard the carriage.

Jiro looked around himself. He was out on a large ledge. A palace was built into the side of the mountain face. They were still a distance from the castle, but battlements were lined up over the smooth surface of the small structure in front of him. It was simply a battlement that was extended from the mountain face and a single wooden door was all that was on the smooth wall. The hawk prodded him in the back with the butt of a spear. Jiro walked jerkily forward as the prodding hawk pushed him down the gangplank.

"Look, at the mighty digi-destined now!" jeered a group of blue dragons loudly.

"Yeah, and they think they can take the full strength of Armored Command…" laughed a group of armadillos.

"This just proves that the Founders have forsaken the norms," agreed a group of white felines.

"Yeah the real reason they sent the digi-destined was to prove a point to normal digimon," a group of ear-winged hamsters were nodding, "the normal digimon's time is over, they should just accept their extinction…"

Jiro stopped and looked at the hamster that had said that. "But…"

"Move along!" growled the hawk, re-enforcing the demand with a sharp stab in the back. The force of the push threw Jiro into a closed door. Jiro groaned as he peeled his face from the prickly, wooden surface. He heard and exasperated growl, second before his body was slammed back, "Stupid klutz!"

"But…" Jiro gulped as the hawk glared down at him. The door scraped as it swung open. Jiro looked up and saw nothing but an inky abyss beyond the wooden framed portal.

"Give it to him, Hawkmon!" shouted a voice from above.

"Get up!" grunted the hawk as he swatted Jiro's shoulder with the staff of the spear. The hawk closed in on Jiro and put its beak to the boy's ear, "Trust me, if Lord Baronmon didn't see value in you, I'd severely punish you for your disobedience."

Jiro stood up slowly and looked back at the giggling and jeering digimon that were crowding around the carriage, and up on the battlements of the walled rock face. The hawk behind him pushed Jiro forward. Jiro's brown eyes looked back at the outside as the hawk followed him. The door slowly closed and shadows fell over his eyes like a swarm of locusts on a wheat field.

888

"I can't believe you are getting the reward," growled Ponchomon as he glided alongside Flamedramon. Flamedramon turned his head and glared at the beige clothed cactus. The cactus shook its head and held his arms out, as if he were presenting something, "I captured the human!"

"Do you ever stop complaining?" asked Flamedramon quietly as he walked down the corridor.

The heavy wooden doors that lined the inside walls of the hall were all closed. Windows illuminated the corridor. Swathes of shadows filled the gaps between the light from the windows. Unlit candlesticks were placed between windows and doors. There were no paintings on any of the walls, and a chilled draft flitted through the hall.

"I'll have you know I've been given a command position!" snapped Ponchomon loudly.

"Command of the Bakemon village, it's a token reward because Baronmon wants to appease you…" replied Flamedramon quietly.

"Why would he wish to appease me?" Ponchomon asked sternly, "I have not proven militant!"

"That same question flows through my head," whispered Flamedramon as he passed through a swath of shadows. "In fact you're of such an annoyance and hindrance I'd have figured he would've destroyed you before giving into your whining…"

"Wha-What!" Ponchomon yelped in shock, "I'll have you know I'm the superior here, I will not…"

Flamedramon shot his hand out and pinned Ponchomon to the window-side wall. "You will," growled Flamedramon as he looked at the cactus, "Why are you here anyways? I know my way to the throne room…leave me!"

"I will not just let you…" Ponchomon started to squirm.

"Baronmon called for me, not you, go," Flamedramon growled loudly.

"But…" Ponchomon continued to squirm.

"Don't you have a prisoner to be babysitting anyways?" Flamedramon asked with contempt.

"I…" Ponchomon looked up. Flamedramon snarled loudly. The cactus gulped, "He's not in my custody anymore…"

"Go…" Flamedramon growled. "Don't you have recruits to indoctrinate…?"

Flamedramon let the cactus go. Ponchomon looked up at Flamedramon. The dragon only growled softly under his breath and continued to walk down the hall. Flamedramon looked back up the hall. Ponchomon was skulking back up the hall. Flamedramon smirked and continued down the hall.

Flamedramon stopped in front of a set of double doors. They were large, reaching up to the ceiling. Intricate hinge work held the doors two the stone work of the corridor. He reached forward and gently put his hand on the ruby door knob. The gem's smooth surface slid over his hand a little before the friction built up and turned the knob. The door swung open with a soft creaking noise that seemed to retreat up and down the corridor, as it reflected off the masonry.

Flamedramon walked into the throne room and closed the door behind him. Crimson carpet flowed from the throne that was on a dais on the far side of the room to the doorway. The rest of the floor was simple masonry like that which was used for the walls. The throne room had no windows but it did have a number of striking tapestries. Many were of twelve figures standing in the sky; several were of a number of large digimon encircled around am obscured figure in a twisting circle of light and darkness. Above the throne, on the wall, was a large display shelf, which held large egg-like objects. Eight of the 'eggs' were in a periphery around one of the objects. The one in the middle was white with tiny ear tuffs on top and pink claws on its bottom. Flamedramon tilted his head; it looked as if there was room for a second 'egg' in the center of the display.

Baronmon was standing in front of the display. His red cloak was hung heavily on his shoulders. His spiked, wild hair sprouted from the back of his head like weeds. The heavy boots on his feet shifted slightly as the baron turned. He turned his head, revealing the blue skin of his face, and the bright red lining of his lips, and eyes. Gnarled teeth exposed themselves from Baronmon's mouth.

"Flamedramon, I've been waiting for you," Baronmon said. His voice was low, like contained thunder.

"I know, Ponchomon told me," Flamedramon replied calmly.

"Yes, he would never make a good spy," murmured Baronmon quietly as he walked forward. His arms were embedded in his emerald robes. "No, definitely not…"

Flamedramon's eyes narrowed slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I think it's rather obvious, Flamedramon," Baronmon smiled toothily. "Ponchomon would not make a good spy…not like you…"

Flamedramon winced on the inside as he tried to keep a stoic gaze on Baronmon. The green robed digimon turned his back on Flamedramon.

"I do not know what you are speaking of," Flamedramon replied quietly, "Why are you comparing me to Ponchomon?"

"Because…I was just thinking how, I have made Ponchomon a Commander of the forces that will quite easily control the Bakemon village, even though he's the furthest from command material…" Baronmon turned slightly, "and yet he is more of a Commander for me, than you are a spy…"

Flamedramon narrowed his eyes slightly, "I am not following…"

"I am not a foolish digimon, not like the others..." Baronmon walked to the table next to the throne and lifted up a clipboard, "I have the registry of Armored Command agents…"

"Yes?" Flamedramon crooked and eyebrow.

"Well, let's see…" Baronmon sat down on the throne. He reached over, flicked a pair of half-lens glasses on his nose and lifted a paper on the clipboard. "A…Allomon no…B…Boarmon no…C…Chameleonmon no…not here….D…Depthmon no; interesting no E's…Ah here it is…F, Frogmon…FlyBeemon, intriguing…FlaWizardmon, huh…G…Gargoylemon…isn't it strange that you're not on the roster….?"

"Maybe someone removed it to sabotage our intelligence operations!" Flamedramon asserted quickly.

"Oh…I doubt that…I have possession of the roster…and I'm pretty good about protecting the things in my possession," whispered Baronmon quietly, "You could've evolved in the field…but…then that would mean you're a…Champion level Flamedramon…not an Armored Flamedramon…which would make you the perfect spy against Armored Command…"

"That is absurd…if I was a spy, why would I have given you the coordinates to strike at the digi-destined?" Flamedramon returned as he pointed at Baronmon.

"Oh I don't know…maybe I might have accidentally been persuaded to decide to give you a promotion or a reward…" whispered Baronmon quietly, "or congratulate you…"

"But if I was an enemy agent why would I wish to be congratulated by you?" growled Flamedramon.

"Well…" Baronmon scanned the throne room, "I don't know…maybe…I might be foolish enough to wish to talk to you in private…alone…in my throne room…"

"Like you are now?" asked Flamedramon.

"Of course…" Baronmon replied with a gnarled smirk. "It was a nice touch…betraying that ExVeemon…"

"What do you mean?" Flamedramon growled.

"Well, Ponchomon did tell me about your trip from the Factory," Baronmon's rumbling voice took on a jovial lilt. "You must have really thrown a monkey wrench into the works for them…they must really be questioning your loyalty now…I must commend you…that was a nice twist."

"I was not called here to be insulted," growled Flamedramon.

Baronmon slammed his hands on the throne's arm rest and stood up, his jovial expression avalanched into a scowl, "You're being insulted? Don't act like an idiot in my presence, I am not a fool! I know you are a spy for the normals! I know all about you!"

Flamedramon growled loudly, "Then why did you fall right into my claws?"

"I don't think I fell into your claws, I think you fell into mine," returned Baronmon as he took the step down from the dais. "I figured you were trying to catch my attention the first time I looked at the roster and noticed there were no Flamedramons within Task Force Beta, or in fact, anywhere in Armored Command! I figured you were trying to find a way of getting yourself near me…and decided to use the military to do it! Maybe you thought that you could get in the command line and really foul up things, but no, no, this is much more direct, much more assured…no this is definitely what you wanted…"

"Then you must know what's coming next…" Flamedramon lifted his claws.

"Yes, I know what you think is coming next," chuckled Baronmon quietly, "I also know what will happen next…"

Flames bathed Flamedramon's body. "Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon launched forward.

"So direct?" laughed Baronmon as he whipped his hands upward and released a torrent of crimson hair that swirled around the flaming rocket, extinguishing the fire covering the dragon's body. All that was visible of Flamedramon was his head. Baronmon looked up at Flamedramon, "that's not a tactic befitting a spy like you…"

Flamedramon roared loudly and exploded from the hair with a blast of flame, leaping back and landing on the ground on the opposite side of the throne room from Baronmon.

"Fire Knuckle!" Flamedramon punched forward, launching three fireballs in Baronmon's direction, as Baronmon swept his cloak up to deflect the fireballs Flamedramon rushed forward bathing his body in flame. "Fire Rocket!"

Baronmon slid away from the dragon. Flamedramon shot past Baronmon and leapt up turning and kicked off the wall, re-launching toward Baronmon. The wizard leapt out of the way as the dragon passed again and skidded to a stop. Flamedramon roared and lifted his claws and rushed at Baronmon. Baronmon whipped his cloak open. Five streaks of flame shot forward crashing into Flamedramon and sending him clattering back against the wall opposite the throne.

"Pathetic…all that scheming to screw it up on some stupid frontal attack…" Baronmon walked forward, "You see, this is precisely the reason why Armored Command has control over ninety-five percent of the island…"

"We'll fight back, we won't let you extirpate us from this island…" growled Flamedramon as he rose to his feet. "We won't be beaten…"

"Face it, you already are beaten!" Baronmon glared at Flamedramon. "Even those parts of the island that aren't fully under my control, are still, under my influence, and no area or village on the island has the power or the backing to stop me!"

"We won't just let you win! There are those that are fighting you!" Flamedramon snarled as let his claws build flame.

"Oh yes…" Baronmon sighed and looked down, "Monzaemon…well, let's just say, he's going to be dealt with…not that he needs to be, he's no real tangible threat…just like Meramon…I suppose as we speak they're in their bog making plans against me," Baronmon's toothy grin widened as he looked up at Flamedramon's shocked face, "Oh yes, I've known for a long time, but I'll let dear Meramon play guerilla warfare. It's much more appeasing to the populace to destroy your enemies in combat than in mass executions…"

"You are a fool, to let such enemies to continue to exist," growled Flamedramon.

"Maybe…" Baronmon replied as he walked forward, "but then again, I let you into my throne room…" Baronmon just smiled quietly.

"That's your second mistake," Flamedramon growled.

"Maybe…" Baronmon looked Flamedramon in the face. "Your heroes are gone, Andromon, Frigimon, Elecmon, Centaurumon, Ogremon, they all are soundly captured. I destroyed Leomon…rather easily too…such weaklings you hide behind…"

"Don't you dare insult the memory of Leomon!" growled Flamedramon loudly.

The dragon's flaming claws flared and he leapt forward. Flamedramon jerked backward as crimson hair wrapped around his shoulders and pinned him back against the wall. One of Baronmon's arms was raised up and the line of crimson hair extended from the arms of his green robes. The other was held at his side.

"So much passion…" Baronmon whispered. He lifted his other arm and a tentacle of hair snaked up to Flamedramon's position, pinned against the wall. "And for something so pathetic…"

"You won't survive this Baronmon!" growled Flamedramon as he struggled against the hair.

Baronmon shook his head. "You have a choice…" Baronmon spoke quietly as the tentacle that hovered in front of Flamedramon and tightened into a spear. "You can either die here, and now, or you can be put into prison…and maybe by some fluke, you may get freed eventually…or you could just surrender to the truth and serve me…"

"I would never serve you," snarled Flamedramon; he struggled against the hair that bound him. "I would never help you!"

"That's what Pidmon said…" Baronmon narrowed his eyes, "but like him, you don't realize that my offer is for your own sake. I don't need you, I will persevere without you…I just figured you wouldn't mind existing…a little longer."

"I would never wish to continue living if it meant having to know I was alive by your dictate," snapped Flamedramon.

"Your pride is your downfall," Baronmon closed his eyes. "You are just like Pidmon; you can't swallow your pride to save yourself!"

"If you're going to kill me, do it!" Flamedramon roared.

"Ok," chirped Baronmon as the spear of crimson hair plunged into Flamedramon's exposed stomach.

The dragon screamed loudly as the hairs snaked through its body like so many giant maggots. Finally, like tens of thousands of strands of razor wire the hairs exploded from the dragon's body; thoroughly cutting Flamedramon into shreds of meat. As the chunks of meat digitized the hairs swept around absorbing the data.

Baronmon smirked slightly as the door to the throne room opened quietly. A lion faced, flower digimon, with brightly colored priest robes hanging from its form walked into the room. The flower's thorny arms were tucked into the yellow sleeves of its top. Long brown hair fell over its shoulders.

"Lord Baronmon, have you finished your meeting?" asked the flower.

"Yes, Kabukimon, I have," Baronmon inclined his head slightly.

"Then shall I escort you downstairs?" asked the flowered priestess.

"Yes, I think now would be a good time," Baronmon replied as he walked forward. "We must at least greet our guest…"

Kabukimon nodded slightly and followed behind Baronmon as the two left the throne room.

888

Jiro looked at the dark box the hawk wanted to push him into. It was about three meters by three meters. There was an incredibly small patch of straw on the floor next to a sink and a small toilet. The other boxes were slightly illuminated by large bars of gray-blue energy that covered the entrance to the small rooms in a crisscross fashion.

"Get in there!" snarled the hawk as he pushed Jiro into the box-like room. Jiro fell onto the ground and turned. Bars of energy slashed between him and the hawk.

The hawk snorted and then left. Jiro ran up to the bars of his cell and reached outwards, but the bars bent and a burst of hot energy slapped Jiro back.

"Are you ok?" asked a soft voice. Jiro looked up at the area where the voice had come from. A large, round, snowman was standing near the bars of one of the cells. "Those bars can give you quite the jolt…"

"It's a human…" murmured another voice. A single eye shone from behind a Spartan helmet. A bronzed centaur walked forward, with its hooves clacking on the rock surface of the floor.

"Could it be…" a second figure appeared next to the centaur. It was a small red rodent, "Could the Founders have sent the saviors?"

"Saviors…pah…" grunted another voice from the cell next to Jiro's. Jiro couldn't see what the owner of the voice looked like, but the voice sounded rough. "What saviors? It's here trapped just like the rest of us…"

"Ogremon, you have to have hope," returned the centaur with a grunt.

"Centaurumon, you have to see sense!" snarled the voice of the unseen owner. "They have us beat!"

"Only if we give up!" growled the centaur loudly.

"We have no choice, they have Primary Village!" growled the unseen owner.

"I should've tried harder…" the red rodent sighed and plopped onto its butt. "I should've held the Armored digimon longer..."

"It's not your fault, Elecmon," the snowman said. "You held them for three weeks, without food, water or reinforcements, not only that you took care of the babies…"

"None the less, they got the village while I was in charge…" Elecmon looked down, "I failed you all…"

"You did not fail us," called a mechanical voice. A tall metallic man walked up the bars, some three cells across from Jiro. "We failed you…we should have been there to help you defend the village…"

"Andromon, some of us had real objectives!" growled the unseen owner, "like defending the throne room!"

"You did your job real well, Ogremon!" growled the centaur loudly.

"I wasn't the one that acted like an idiot and got myself ran through by Baronmon!" snarled the unseen owner of the tough voice. "This is Leomon's fault!"

"Don't blame him!" snapped the rodent loudly.

Jiro blinked at the arguing digimon. They were shouting back and forth at one another from behind energy bars. Jiro felt his eyes burn. His scuffed skin flared in pain and his head hurt. A tear ran down his cheek and Jiro screamed loudly and started to bawl.

"Just great…the bug is crying now…" growled the unseen speaker. "I suppose he'll be like Elecmon."

"I do not cry…" shouted the rodent loudly, "at least not so much anymore!"

"Hey, little guy," the snowman called to Jiro. "Don't cry…it's ok really…"

Jiro sniffed and rubbed his puffy eyes, "No it's not…my brother is out there…looking for me with his friends…" Jiro sniffed again, "And I got captured…and it was my fault, I should've stayed with Agumon…."

"Your brother and his friends?" the centaur looked at Jiro, "There are more of you?"

"Mmhmm," Jiro hiccupped slightly as he rubbed his eyes. "It's me, and my brother Haru, and Kisho and Ren, and Taku…and then the digimon...Agumon, Guilmon, DORUmon, Renamon and DemiDevimon…"

"Ooo, the saviors have a bunch of Rookie digimon leading them around," growled the unseen speaker loudly, "If I was Baronmon, I'd be really scared…they might pinch me to death!"

"Ogremon, shut up!" snarled the centaur loudly.

"I'll shut up when I please and no sooner!" shouted the unseen speaker loudly.

"Don't worry," the snowman said to Jiro. "He's just cranky…all…the…time…"

"Shut up, Frigimon!" snapped the unseen speaker.

"No, I'll speak my mind!" returned the round digimon loudly.

"You'll wish you hadn't said that…when I get out of this cell!" snarled the unseen speaker.

"Do you have a name?" asked the metal digimon, ignoring the bickering.

"Yes, my name is Jiro," said the boy quietly. "You keep calling me a savior…I…don't understand?"

"Well it's simple…there is a prophecy," the centaur crossed his arms and bowed his head, "It speaks of beings from another world coming to save this one. It says that the Founders would one day send these beings to us to save us from a threat to this world…"

"How do we even know they are really the saviors?" snarled the unseen speaker from his cell. "They could just be some sort of demon!"

"The prophecy said that the saviors would be signified by small devices that will hold much power…" replied the centaur.

"You mean…" Jiro dug into his pockets and pulled out the small digivice, "…like this?"

"He is a savior…" gasped the red rodent as it looked up at the white device in Jiro's hand.

"How did you get it through the security?" whispered Frigimon as he looked in awe at the device.

"They said that it wouldn't be able to help me…" Jiro shrugged his shoulders.

There was a loud creaking noise that came from down the corridor, in the direction Jiro had walked from. A single stream of light cut through the gloomy semi-luminance of the cells' energy bars, but the light was quickly covered by the shadow of a figure.

The digimon in their cells hissed loudly and drew back from their bars, as the figure walked forward. It was accompanied by a flowery looking creature. The figure was cloaked, and had some sort of spiky adornment on its head.

"Ah, I hope you have found your accommodations, most pleasing…" said the figure as it walked into the gloom of the prison hall. Its face was blue, and its robes were green the cloak on its shoulders was red. The adornment on its head was actually hair, spiky and red with white highlights. "Kabukimon, you did make sure our guests were put into the deluxe suites…"

"Of course, Lord Baronmon," the flowery creature chuckled behind the blue faced demon.

The flowery creature had a baggy, golden top covered by a red suspender vest that led down into baggy red pants. Its hands were lion faced flowers, and its head was a large lion-masked flower. Auburn hair dropped from its head down over its shoulders to lie on top of the creature's chest. The blue faced man's gnarled toothed smile grew slightly.

"Let me go now!" shouted Jiro loudly. "Let me go, or else!"

"Feisty isn't he?" chuckled the blue faced demon as he walked forward. "If I don't release you, what will you do?"

"My brother will come for me, and then you'll be sorry!" Jiro shouted his response proudly, "My brother and his friends will make you pay!"

"Heh," the blue faced demon looked back at the flowery creature, "I have a feeling, the poor child doesn't know about the horrible thing that has happened…"

"Oh?" the flower smirked looked at the blue faced demon quizzically, "Why don't you enlighten him…then?"

The blue faced demon nodded. "Your brother…and your other human companions were destroyed…Task Force Beta crushed them in combat at the Factory…I'm afraid they are dead…"

Jiro looked up at the blue faced demon in shock. He fell backward and looked numbly at the glowing bars that covered the front of his cell. His lips moved but no voice escaped them. Tears filled his eyes.

"NO!" shouted Jiro loudly, "No! I don't believe you! They aren't dead! They can't be dead!"

"The poor thing is in denial…" the blue face demon sighed as Jiro screamed loudly. The blue faced demon looked to the flower digimon, "You almost feel pity for it, don't you?"

"Indeed, you almost do," replied the flower calmly.

"You're lying!" shouted Jiro loudly, "You thought they were dead at Toy Town, but they survived they came for me at the Factory, you're lying…they aren't dead!"

"Dear boy, the last time we missed them because of the massive destruction," replied the blue faced digimon, "This time they were slain in face to face combat…there is no mistaking it…they are dead."

Jiro looked down at his hands, "No…you're wrong…you're wrong…"

"I see he has become dissociated…" whispered the flower, "It may be prudent to give him time to absorb this news…let it sink in and be accepted…"

"I do believe you're quite right…" the blue faced digimon chuckled as he turned, "I will leave you then…"

"Good riddance," snarled the unseen speaker suddenly.

"How, expected of you, Ogremon," remarked the blue faced digimon as he turned. "Kabukimon, let us go to have lunch…I hear they are serving pork chops and mashed potatoes for our noon time meal."

The demon's gnarled smile appeared again as stomach snarls echoed from the prison cells. The demon then continued to walk away with the flower digimon behind him. A stream of light appeared as the door to the prison hall creaked open and then it disappeared as the door shut with the clank and slide of a lock.

Jiro sat on the ground and cried loudly. Tears streaked down his cheeks.

"Gah, stop the water works already!" snarled the unseen speaker, "They're dead, be a man and suck it up, it's not the end of the world, you're still alive!"

"But…they were my only friends here," cried Jiro between sobs. "I don't have a reason to keep trying; they were my only hope to get out of here!"

"Don't give up," murmured the centaur quietly, "Don't believe Baronmon…keep the light on inside, and keep the dream alive, it's the only way to survive this intact…"

"Plus, you have friends here," called the snowman loudly. Jiro looked up at the snowman with tearful eyes. The snowman smiled, "I'm Frigimon, and that," Frigimon pointed to the centaur, "is Centaurumon and his cellmate is Elecmon," Frigimon pointed way down to where the metal digimon was, "That's Andromon, and well…" Frigimon looked at the cell next to Jiro's, "That's Ogremon…but don't expect him to be friendly…he's just cranky…all…the…time…"

"I thought I told you to shut up!" snarled the voice from the cell next to him.

"See what I mean?" Frigimon chuckled.

Jiro sniffled loudly and rubbed his nose and eyes. "But what if Baronmon is right?"

"If he's right then we find another way," replied Centaurumon. "The only thing we can't do is give up."

Jiro sniffed and nodded his head, "Ok…"

888

"Are you sure we should be doing this alone?" Guilmon looked up at Haru, slightly tilting his head.

"The others are too caught up in helping Monzaemon…" Haru whispered as he stepped over a rock.

"But…maybe we should've at least have told them where we were going…" Agumon said as he looked at Guilmon.

"Why? So we could have Kisho or Taku try and drag us back…?" Haru looked at Guilmon and then at Agumon.

"Well…that's true…" Agumon whispered as he looked ahead of them.

"We're close to a trail that will lead up the foothills," said Guilmon quietly as he pointed forward.

"HAAAARUUU!" shouted a voice from behind them. It was a girl's voice.

"Ren…maybe we should wait…" Guilmon said anxiously.

"No…let's go before Renamon catches up to us…" Haru said as he trudged through the soaked leaf litter on the ground.

"But…" Agumon looked sadly back to where the voice was calling them.

"Guiiiilmooon!" shouted a second voice, this one a boy's.

"AAAAGUUUMOOON!" a third voice, another boy's called out.

"They are worried about us…" Agumon said quietly.

"Look, I got to get to my brother," Haru replied as he started to run, "If you're coming, come on, if not then go back to them! I don't care!"

"Wait Haru!" yelped Guilmon as he ran after the boy.

"Guilmon!" Agumon ran after the dragon.

888

"They were here…" Renamon knelt down, "and are continuing towards a trail that would lead them to the base of Infinity Mountain."

"We have to stop them…" Kisho said, "They're going to get themselves killed!"

"We might have to split up…" DORUmon looked at the others.

"What?" Kisho looked at his partner. "Splitting up is exactly what we don't want to do!"

"I know you don't like the idea…" replied the bushy tailed, raptor, "but it may be best if we fan out. He may not be taking the trail…"

"DORUmon is right," Renamon replied, "Haru could be anywhere between here and the base of Infinity Mountain…the terrain gives him the ability to hide relatively easily if he wishes to…it may be best to divide our abilities to spread them out…"

"But…" Kisho looked at the fox.

"Kisho, it's not like we're all leaving the island, we're going in the same general direction," Taku said. The dark haired boy looked at Kisho, "It'll be ok, our digimon can protect us…"

"Yeah, we'll fight tooth and nail to protect you!" DemiDevimon nodded emphatically.

"Ren?" Kisho looked up at the girl.

"Renamon, is right…" replied Ren as she looked at the fox, "We need to spread out, we have to find him before he gets in trouble…"

Kisho sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Then…I guess we're splitting up…"

"DORUmon and I should take paths that are less trodden," said Renamon as she looked to the north at the foot hills that lead to File Island. "Our better nasal senses give us a tracking edge…"

"Hey what about us?" DemiDevimon glared at Renamon.

"You shall take the main road…that way you don't get lost, and will be able to easily fly ahead to find Haru, Guilmon and Agumon," replied Renamon as the fox swished her tail.

Kisho looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to slide from its zenith, "Hopefully someone will find him before nightfall…"

"We should, if we start now, he can't be far ahead of us…" Renamon looked to Ren. "Are you ready?"

"I guess I am…" replied the girl quietly.

"We'll see you, Taku, hopefully soon," Kisho looked at the coal-eyed boy, "and please, if you find him, don't yell at him or try and hit him…"

"I won't…" Taku said as he and DemiDevimon turned towards the path Renamon had indicated as leading to the trail through the foothills. "I'll wait until we get back to the rest of you to do that…I wouldn't wish to go too far and kill him or something…"

"Ah…" Kisho started but Taku was already fading into the forest.

"Don't worry, Kisho…Taku won't hurt him," DORUmon assured as the little kangaroo-raptor hopped forward into the forest. "At least…I don't think he will…"

**888**

**AN: Kind of had a hard time finding a place to stop...it was weird...**


	13. Into the Wilds

**I don't own digimon**

**Into the Wilds**

**888**

"Come on Guilmon," called Haru as he walked up an incline. It was nearing evening.

The path was now leading into a rocky area. Rock outcroppings poked up from either side of the rode. Trees sprouted up between rocks but they were coniferous, dry, creaking things with sharply wrinkled trunks. They lacked the overall beauty and lusciousness of the earlier forest's oaks and elms.

"I don't know, Haru," Guilmon looked up at the steep hills ahead of them. "I don't know if we want to end up in the middle of the foothills at the night. "Some pretty bad digimon live up there, and with Armored Command…"

"We can handle it," Haru replied as he looked up at the mountain. "It doesn't look so bad…"

"Ok…" Guilmon whispered as he walked up to where Haru was. Guilmon looked back to Agumon, "Is it ok with you?"

"Sure," The small, orange dinosaur piped loudly, "I want to find Jiro as fast as possible…"

Agumon ran next to Guilmon and Haru. Haru smiled a little and then continued up the incline. Guilmon and Agumon looked at each other and followed the boy up the path.

As the path curled slightly northward the trail was covered in shadows, as the evening sun was blocked by the large boulders and the intermeshed pines of the coniferous trees that lived between the rocks.

Guilmon and Agumon huddled together as the shadows got darker and longer. Haru only continued forward, quietly, without saying a word. Haru stopped and looked up. There was a soft glow coming from the next bend.

"Come on, there may be a farm house up there…" Haru said as he trudged forward in the shadows.

"Ok…" Guilmon and Agumon followed the boy. Haru turned the bend and stopped in his tracks.

"Uh…go back…go back!" Haru ran past Guilmon and Agumon.

"What is it?" yelped Agumon as Haru slid to a stop.

"Uh…I think our old friend, Lynxmon is here to settle an old score…" gulped Guilmon as a large flaming cat snarled at the two digimon.

"Thermal Mane!" The flames around the cat exploded towards the digimon.

"Guilmon…Agumon!" Haru screamed as the two digimon were flung against one of the stones.

"We're…ok…" Agumon sat up and growled.

"Pyro Sphere!" The crimson fire sphere crashed into Lynxmon. The flames around the feline flared slightly but other than that nothing happened.

"No, Guilmon, our attacks our fire based, don't you remember last time…" Agumon looked at the red and black dragon, "Our attacks only fan his flames…"

"Uh…I forgot," Guilmon put a claw to the side of his mouth, "Oops…"

"You mean…you can only make him…more powerful," Haru blanched as the lynx stalked forward.

"Uh yeah…" Agumon looked at the lynx.

"RUN!" Haru shouted as he ran up to Guilmon and Agumon, grabbing their paws and yanking them into the forests. The lynx laughed and leapt after them.

"Guilmon, hurry up and digivolve to Raptordramon!" shouted Haru as he ran through the forest.

"I would…if I could…but I can't…" Guilmon was running quickly between pine trees and leaping over ferns.

"Thermal Mane!" A blast of fire shot over Haru's head.

"Pyro Sphere!" a crimson ball of heat exploded into slammed into the cat's face. The cat continued to charge forward its flames even higher.

"Guilmon stop doing that!" shouted Agumon loudly as the cat's flames flared again.

"Oops!" shouted the dragon as he ran.

"You're going to oops us to death!" shouted Haru as another wave of fire shot through the forest roaring past Haru.

Haru pumped his arms as he ran forward. Agumon was running next to him, running even harder to keep pace with the longer legged human. Their feet stomped over the forest's floor. Suddenly there was an earth shattering howl. Haru and Agumon stopped dead in their tracks. Guilmon slid to a stop and looked back. The bushes rustled as the sound of loud growling filled the air. Three, twisting, blue and white striped tails flexed and whipped around. The beast rose up. It was a huge blue and white, tiger striped, wolf. It snarled loudly as its fangs were bared. Saliva dropped from its teeth.

"Oh man…" Haru looked up at the wolf in terror.

"Garurumon…" gulped Guilmon and Agumon together.

"Wild Nail Rush!" Lynxmon leapt over the wolf and crashed its glowing claws into the soil in front of Guilmon, Agumon and Haru. The three dropped backward and rolled across the floor.

There was a howl and then bluish flames crashed into Lynxmon. The cat crashed through a tree and slid across the ground. The wolf wasn't far behind it leaping through the air with its claws to bear.

"Let's go!" shouted Haru loudly, "While they're busy!"

Guilmon and Agumon nodded and took the boy's hand and ran.

888

"Stupid Haru," growled Taku as he kicked rocks up the road. "This is exactly the reason why I don't like him…he runs off like a complete idiot!"

"He's worried about his brother, Taku," DemiDevimon replied as he glided a few feet in front of the black haired boy, "Wouldn't you be worried about your brother…?"

Taku narrowed his eyes and glowered. "No…I wouldn't even want to deal with that disgusting person…"

"Taku…?" DemiDevimon blinked.

"Don't worry about it," growled Taku as he walked past the round bat. "Let's just say my brother and I, don't get along…"

"Ah…" DemiDevimon landed on a rock and looked up the road. The evening sun cast a long shadow onto the path as the bat spread its wings and stretched. "It won't be long before we start hitting the foothills…"

"So?" Taku continued forward. "We should try and catch up to Haru…"

"But I don't think you understand…the foothills of Infinity Mountain…are…" DemiDevimon gulped loudly, "Well, they are pretty wild…there are a lot of beast digimon that are…not too friendly when it comes to stumbling into their territory…"

"So you're going to back down and run away?" Taku looked at the spherical bat angrily.

"No! I just think it may be a little silly to just run up there…" whispered DemiDevimon. "I mean I haven't eaten, and I'm still tired…I don't know if I could digivolve if I had to."

"So what do we do now?" growled Taku. His stomach growled loudly.

"I think it would be prudent to get something to eat…" replied DemiDevimon. "There were some grapevines a few meters back…maybe we should…" DemiDevimon looked up at Taku. The boy looked as if he were trying to make his ears grow. "What's wrong?"

"Shh…" Taku put a finger to his lips. "I have the feeling something is watching us…"

"Don't be silly!" chuckled DemiDevimon, "I'd have heard or seen it before you would…have…" DemiDevimon gulped as a large, cow sized, red skinned, short trunked mastodon with metallic tusks and large, metallic, ruffled ears appeared out of the thin air. "Ok…maybe I was a wrong…"

"Heat Storm!" roared the beast as rippling air currents swept forward. The bushes to the side of the wind burst into flames.

"Taku! Get out of the way!" shouted DemiDevimon as the digimon dove between Taku and the air current. "Setmon's Heat Storm can cause anything to combust instantly!"

"Idiot!" shouted Taku as he grabbed DemiDevimon and leapt off of the path.

"Ha, you can't stay hidden forever!" the mastodon chuckled. "Heat Storm!" The forest erupted into flame as hot wind blew through the trees.

"Digivolve!" Taku called as he flustered through the burning forest.

"I can't! We never got to eat!" yelped DemiDevimon, "And that little bit of a snack at noon wasn't near enough. Not to mention the fact that I'm still exhausted from the fight this morning!"

"So now what?" shouted Taku as a chunk of tree fell in front of him.

"I suggest winging it!" called DemiDevimon as he flew through the smoke.

"Oh great for you, you have wings!" shouted Taku as DemiDevimon flitted around.

"Well, it's not my fault!" shouted the bat as he dove down and grabbed Taku by the arm and started to tug him through the burning forest. "Come on!"

"Don't drag me!" shouted Taku loudly.

"Fine, burn!" yelped DemiDevimon, "We really don't have time for this!"

"Heat Storm!" The flames flared as new trees turned into branching rods of fire.

"Ok…take me somewhere!" Taku looked up at his partner.

"This way!" DemiDevimon pulled Taku through the fire filled forest.

"You know where you're going?" asked Taku as he stumbled and tripped his way behind DemiDevimon. The flames roared behind them, as they reached the border between the forest fire and the unaffected forest.

"No…but then again, neither do you, so don't complain!" shouted DemiDevimon as he dove under a branch. DemiDevimon made a hard brake by spreading his wings open.

"What is it?" Taku looked back. A new burst of flames roared through the forest, bringing the flames around them.

"Shhh…" DemiDevimon looked up at a tan hill.

"What?" Taku glared forward. The hill moved in the bushes. "That…hill…moved…"

"Not a hill…" gulped DemiDevimon as a round head revealed itself through the bushes. The creature moved forward. It was a huge dinosaur, with a spiked shell and a mace like tail. DemiDevimon gulped and whispered, "Anklyomon…shh, he can't see well…maybe he won't…"

"Heat Wave!" roared the voice of the mastodon.

DemiDevimon and Taku turned. Whirling air currents rushed forward. Taku grabbed DemiDevimon and tossed him to the ground and leapt on him. The twisting burst of hot air shot over them and roared into flame. There was an angry roar. Taku looked back. Anklyomon's head and armor was singed. The black haired boy looked forward to see the red skinned mastodon emerging from the flames.

"This is so not a good day…" growled Taku as the anklyosaur snorted and started to stamp its feet on the ground.

"Taku! Let's get out of here!" DemiDevimon grabbed Taku and pulled him.

Just as Taku was clear Anklyomon charged forward crashing into the large metallic tusks of Setmon. The two growled and roared as they pushed at each other.

888

"_What're you doing, Wizardmon?" called a small fluffy ball of fox. He scurried around the garden foliage. The fox kit hopped up and down next to a blue cloaked wizard. "Well?"_

"_I'm harvesting some sweet roots," replied the blue cloaked wizard quietly as he pulled one of the roots up and dusted it off and put it in a small basket._

"_Oh…then…" the fox kit looked up at Wizardmon, "Isn't Master Sorcerymon supposed to do that?"_

"_Sorcerymon is busy fighting the evil digimon, remember?" replied Wizardmon as he dusted off another tuber. "I know he promised he'd be back by now…but some things just need to take their time…" _

"_But…I want Master Sorcerymon back now!" pouted the fox kit. _

"_I know…" replied the wizard as he dug into the ground with a trowel. "When he gets back, Bearmon and Kotemon will be back with him…and we'll have the birthday party you have been wanting for such a long time…" _

"_Oh, oh…will Master Dinohumon be coming back?" asked the fox as she hopped around the wizard._

"_I don't know; that's up to him…" The wizard looked up. His hazel eyes narrowed slightly as a figure glided out of the sky. It was a large green dragon. _

"_Lord Wizardmon?" the dragon asked as it bowed its head. _

"_Wizardmon is just fine," replied the wizard as he looked at the dragon. Wizardmon stood up and dusted off his hands and pants. "How may I help you?"_

"_It's Sorcerymon's platoon," replied the dragon quietly. "There has been…" The dragon looked down at Viximon. "It may be best if the…young one…" _

"_Viximon, go into the house," Wizardmon commanded in a soft voice._

"_But…Airdramon is going to talk about Master Sorcerymon…" pleaded Viximon fervently._

"_I said go into the house, Viximon," Wizardmon's eyes glared down at the fox kit as he released a half growl. "Please, just go…" _

"_But…" _

"_Please, Viximon," Wizardmon sighed through his face guard. "Don't be difficult…"_

_The fox kit walked slowly to the house and pushed the door open. She scrambled up to the window and looked out. The wizard and the dragon were conversing. The wizard put his head down. The dragon said something more and the wizard nodded quietly. The dragon flapped its tattered, red wings and took off. Wizardmon turned and started to walk to the house he didn't pick up the basket of sweet roots nor his tools, he just walked towards the house. _

_Wizardmon took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face down. He took a deep breath as he walked up to the door. He took off the blue pointed hat that was on his head, revealing his reddish golden hair. His eyes closed and he seem to take another deep breath and he reached for the door and entered the house. _

"_Wizardmon, Wizardmon!" Viximon hopped down and ran to the blue caped digimon. "Was it about Master Sorcerymon, he's coming home; isn't he?" Wizardmon didn't answer Viximon. The little fox kit got extremely excited and jumped around the wizard, "Oh he is, he is! YAY! Master Sorcerymon is coming home with Bearmon and Kotemon! We're going to have a birthday party and cake…" Viximon danced around Wizardmon; the wizard only leaned softly against a reclining chair and put his hand to his temple. The fox kit hopped on top of the chair and bounced up and down, "Isn't wonderful Wizardmon? Isn't it?"" _

"_Please…Viximon…shh," whispered Wizardmon as he walked across the living room and picked up a pack on a desk. _

"_The medicine bag?" Viximon tilted her head. "Are you going somewhere?"_

"_We have to go to Toy Town…" replied Wizardmon quietly. "Sorcerymon and the others are…staying there right now…"_

"_Why didn't they just come home?" Viximon asked as she followed the wizard out of the house. _

"_Viximon…there was an…" Wizardmon put his hand to his mouth guard and closed his eyes, "There was…an…incident...yes that's the best way to explain it…"_

"_Incident?" Viximon hopped after the wizard. "I don't understand?" _

"_Come, child, let us go…" whispered Wizardmon as he got into the boat. "We have to go see Sorcerymon. Hopefully, I can find my words by the time we get there…" _

_888_

"Renamon, is something wrong?" Renamon snapped from her thoughts as she looked back at the young, brown haired girl. Renamon looked down at the sweet root in her hand.

"No, Ren…I was just remembering something," whispered Renamon as she took a bite of the root. She frowned when she found the roots not to be quite ready for consumption. "I am sorry, these roots aren't ready…"

"Too sour?" asked Ren as she looked at the roots in her arms.

"I'm afraid so, but that's not a complete loss often times you can boil them and it will make the roots less bitter," replied Renamon quietly.

"What were you thinking about?" asked Ren quietly as she held onto the roots as Renamon lifted them to her.

"Nothing…just…something from the past…" Renamon replied as she rooted around looking for more roots. "It was silly…really."

"Renamon…" Ren whispered quietly.

"Ren, please, it was truly nothing of much consequence!" Renamon returned slightly irritated. The fox looked up at her partner. The girl was blinking blindly back to something behind the fox.

Renamon turned slowly and growled. A large, white and blue marked moose was standing on the far side of the clearing. The moose snorted as its large blue antlers glowed and it sliced forward with them felling two trees.

"Moosemon…" Renamon stood up and moved between the moose and Ren.

"You must be the one partnered to the digi-destined…" said the moose in a low voice.

"What's it to you, who I'm partnered with, antler boy?" Renamon growled as she glared at the moose.

"There's a price on your head, fox…" announced the moose loudly. "I plan on getting it!"

"Bring it on…" growled Renamon as she glared at the moose.

"Hanging Twister!" the large, sapphire antlers of the moose held two, spinning spheres of wind that shot forward as one large cyclone of air. Renamon rushed into the wind only to have her body thrown to the ground.

"You can't beat him like this!" shouted Ren as she ran toward Renamon.

"Get back…" Renamon shouted as another blast of wind ripped into the ground.

Moosemon's antlers glowed red and then his sliced them through the air releasing two crimson streaks of energy that sliced the limbs of trees cleanly from their trunks. Renamon leapt back and grabbed Ren.

"You have to digivolve…" Ren whispered into Renamon's ears.

"I know…but I can't…" growled the fox as she held Ren around the waist, "Get ready we're going to jump!"

"Huh…" Ren started before her feet left the ground and she and Renamon went sailing into the air.

"You can't escape me, Renamon!" shouted the moose as another torrent of wind caught the fox and the girl and flung them back to the ground.

"Are you ok?" Renamon grunted as she looked back to the blue marked moose.

"I'm fine," Ren replied as she winced trying to get up. "We have to keep going…"

"I know…" Renamon picked the girl up cradle style and started to run.

"HAH!" shouted the moose as it charged after Renamon. "You can't run forever, fox!"

"I can try," growled Renamon as she raced across the ground.

"Hanging Twister!" called the moose.

Renamon felt the wind grab her again. She growled as she pulled Ren into a curl and bounced across the ground. Her spine crashed against a tree and she howled as she arched back releasing Ren. Ren dropped to the ground with a grunt and looked up at Renamon. Renamon fell from the tree and fell to her hands and knees.

"You're hurt!" Ren yelped.

"I'm fine…" Renamon lifted her head and got to her knees. Her cobalt eyes glared at the moose who was approaching, "You're going to wish you hadn't done that…"

"Done what?" growled the moose.

"Piss me off…" Renamon growled, as she leapt into the air and slashed her claws forward. Between her claws glowing leaf-like projectiles formed, "Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"

Streaks of golden light flashed through the forest as the golden leaves flew towards Moosemon. The moose lowered its head and swept its wide antlers back and forth. Renamon dropped down next to Ren, and glared at the moose.

"Fool," chuckled the moose.

Its antlers were covered in glowing leaf-like arrowheads. A wind swirled around the massive antlers. The golden arrowheads rattled and dislodged themselves from the antlers and spun around in the sweeping air currents.

"This should about do it…" The moose thrust its head forward releasing the wind from its antlers and launching the arrowheads within the wind back at Renamon and Ren.

"No!" Renamon grabbed Ren. The fox then swept around to put her back to the wind. Renamon closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ren…"

Renamon's eyes opened when her stomach started to flip flop in her abdomen. The world seemed to fade back and forth between a whitish void and the normal forest scenery. Seconds later she felt a soft breeze sweep around her tail and then the tree in front her fell.

"Renamon…" Ren whispered quietly, "I don't feel so well…"

Renamon looked down at the child. The brown haired girl looked green in the face. "What's wrong?"

"I feel like someone took my tummy and put it in a blender…" whimpered the girl.

"It can't be…" Renamon turned back to see Moosemon glaring at the fox and then she looked back down to Ren who was holding her stomach and taking deep breaths. "I was able to summon the Kohenkyo…and take another living being with me…"

"I don't know what you did, fox, but I commend you for surprising me!" shouted the moose.

"I don't need your commendations!" shouted Renamon as she turned. "You're not hurting my partner!"

"We'll see!" growled Moosemon as his antlers again swirled with wind. "Hanging Twister!"

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" shouted Renamon as she thrust her arms forward. Renamon paled as nothing happened, "FOX LEAF ARROWHEAD!" The golden arrowheads formed for a few short seconds and then they disappeared into nothing. She thrust her arms forward for a third try when the wind struck her and tossed her backward like a rag doll.

"Renamon!" Ren crawled forward. "Renamon get up!"

"I can't fight back…" Renamon whispered. "I must have drained myself to take you into the Kohenkyo…"

"Get up, Renamon!" Ren implored as she tried to pull the fox to its feet. "Please, Renamon, we have to try and run!"

Renamon stood up and leaned heavily on the brown haired girl. Ren turned and ran into the forest as she supported Renamon.

"Oh, come now!" Moosemon shouted as he chased after the two, "Stop running, make it easy on both of us!" The moose snorted as he galloped after them.

"Hurry, Ren," whispered Renamon, "There is a river up ahead, maybe we can get across it to safety…"

Ren nodded and ran harder, nearly dragging Renamon along with her.

"Horn Blade!" the trees around Ren fell from their trunks as red arcs sliced through them.

Ren staggered into a clearing. She was breathing hard. She sucked hard at the air trying to pull some oxygen into her lungs. The river was only four of five meters away. She could see it flowing. There was a small line of rocks that provided a makeshift bridge across the river. She started to run forward when she noticed the huge tyrannosaur hunched next to the river. A pair of large, steer-like horns projected from either side of its bone helmeted cranium. Orange skin was covered in light blue stripes.

"Keep going…" instructed Renamon.

"But…" Ren looked at the fox.

"Just do it…don't be difficult…" grumbled the fox. Renamon looked back. The trees fell away to reveal Moosemon and his wind filled antlers. "Come on, let's go!"

"You can't get away, Renamon!" chuckled the moose, "neither will your human!"

"Ren, go!" Renamon pushed Ren forward, "Just go!"

"I'm not leaving you!" shouted Ren. The girl froze as a loud snarl escaped from behind her. She turned to see the large tyrannosaur standing up. Its head adorned with a skull.

"Hanging Twister!" roared the moose as a blast of twisting wind struck the tyrannosaur's chest. "These are mine, you beast!"

The dinosaur growled as it backed up. It snarled and opened its mouth, releasing a large ball of fire. Moosemon leapt back as the flames crashed into the ground.

"Ren…" Renamon staggered to the brown haired girl, "Let's go!"

"But…" Ren looked up as the dinosaur charged towards Moosemon.

"Greymon can take care of himself," grunted Renamon as she led Ren towards the river, "but we need to get across this river!"

Ren nodded as Renamon grabbed her and leapt to the first stone of the makeshift bridge.

888

"Not fair, not fair, not fair!" chanted Kisho as he and DORUmon rand own a hill as the forest behind them exploded into flames.

The roar of jets rumbled over their heads as flashes of the metal pteranosaurs chasing them were seen between tree branches. DORUmon and Kisho looked at each other and sighed, that's when the whistling started again. The two looked at each other and screamed and began running again as the ground behind them exploded.

"I wish I could digivolve," panted DORUmon when they had stopped. "I'd show those Pteranomon!"

"Just don't worry about it, think more of keeping ahead of those missiles," breathed Kisho as he patted DORUmon's head.

"Speaking of which…" DORUmon grimaced as the air filled with whistling.

Kisho grabbed DORUmon's hand and yanked the purple fox-raptor digimon behind him as the forest again was rocked with explosions. Kisho pulled DORUmon to the left and started to run down a trail. The sounds of jets roared overhead as more whistling filled the sky.

"Oh come on!" shouted Kisho as he and DORUmon ran down the trail.

"Kisho…we have a problem!" yelped DORUmon as he looked forward.

"What?" Kisho looked forward. "Oh crud…"

Kisho skidded as he tried to stop before running into a large boulder that blocked the trail. Kisho looked up to see a Pteranomon jetting right towards him and DORUmon. The missiles flew from the large metal digimon's wings and whistled forward. Kisho closed his eyes tight.

"Aerial Attack!" a blue orb shot between Kisho and DORUmon and the missiles and intercepted them. A large white horse with a red face mask and horn flew forward on large gray wings.

"God Tornado!" roared a large green dragon with red wings as a blast of twisting wind crashed into the Pteranomon.

"Black Saber!" screeched a large black bird as a dark blade of energy sliced through the metal digimon.

The horse wheeled around and flew towards Kisho. It landed and clopped forward on its hooves. The horse bowed its head.

"Uni…mon!" DORUmon gasped. "They said you were dead!"

"Not dead, just well hidden," replied the horse. The horse turned its head and watched as the black bird and the dragon engage more Pteranomon, "Saberdramon and Airdramon can't hold them forever…we should go…"

"We can't we have to find the others!" Kisho shook his head, "We have to find Haru before he gets to Infinity Mountain!"

"Look, kid, I don't know what's going on, but you have to leave," growled the horse, "they are chasing you! I came to save you, now get on, we have to go!"

"But the others," Kisho looked at the horse.

"We can search for them after things have settled down," assured the horse loudly, "Now, get on!"

"Kisho…he's right…" DORUmon looked at the boy, "Ok?"

"Ok…" Kisho looked up and slowly climbed on the horse's back and then helped DORUmon on.

Unimon's wings unfurled and the winged unicorn galloped forward flapping them. Unimon shot into the air and rushed through the air. Aquamarine energy orbs shot into the sky and exploded into the Pteranomon. The black phoenix wheeled around and flashed its wings open, releasing bursts of black flames onto one of the Pteranomon. The dragon flashed its wings open and a swirling wave of needles punctured the other Pteranomon.

"Uh…we have company!" yelped Kisho as he looked back.

"Eagle Eye!" crimson laser arrows shot around the flanks of Unimon.

"Halsemon!" shouted the dragon as it dove forward.

"Don't worry Unimon, we have these guys!" called the black eagle. Kisho looked back as the two red gryphons curled away to engage the bird and the dragon.

Whistling pierced the air as missiles exploded around Unimon. Unimon dove from the smoke and curled around to meet four Pteranomon that were bearing down on him. Unimon weaved back and forth as missiles whizzed past.

"UNIMON!" shouted Kisho loudly.

"Sorry, been awhile since I've flown with passengers," growled the unicorn as his wings tilted and he swerved from the foursome of metal pteranosaurs. Unimon flapped his wings as he rocketed into the sky flying higher and higher. "Hold on tight…it's a long way down!"

"The Pteranomo…woah.." DORUmon hiccupped, "It is a long way down…"

Unimon only huffed as he continued in his ascent.

"I think…my ears just popped!" shouted Kisho loudly. He sniffed loudly, "and I think my nose is bleeding!"

"Metal Cannon!" growled DORUmon as he belched downward. The metal ball bearings seared through the air cracking into the head of the Pteranomon. Two of them were sent twisting backward.

"Ok…grab on tight…" growled Unimon as he hovered slightly. Unimon turned back and looked down and began to dive.

"HOLY….!" Shouted Kisho as the wind whipped the profanity from his mouth.

The horn on Unimon's head sparked and the equine digimon charged forward, "Sacred Blast!"

Flashes of blue lightning exploded into the Pteranomon. The metal digimon stalled and then fell backward exploding. Unimon continued to dive down. Kisho's face jiggled as the wind whipped into his mouth. Saberdramon and Airdramon were trading attacks with the two Halsemon.

One Halsemon spun into a twisting tornado and dove for Airdramon, who countered with a blast of godly wind. An energy blade formed on the other Halsemon's large wing like helmet and fired forward only to have the blade crash into a black saber. The energy of the two attacks twisted around each other and exploded sideways.

"Sacred Blast!" Unimon dove between the two Halsemon releasing a blast of blue lightning. The Halsemon arched as the electricity ripped through their bodies and they both exploded into dust.

Unimon leveled off the dive and glided back up to Saberdramon and Airdramon.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" said Kisho woozily as he laid his head on Unimon's mane.

"Yeah…" DORUmon burped quietly and held him mouth as he flung his head over Unimon's flank.

"Don't get too comfortable…" Unimon looked up, "We're far from out of the woods!"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Kisho looked up weakly as a squadron of Pteranomon roared out of the clouds.

"There are too many to fight," Airdramon growled.

"We need reinforcements!" concurred Saberdramon.

"Then we must retreat to the safe point…" Unimon nodded and flapped his wings propelling himself forward. Airdramon and Saberdramon turned and followed the winged unicorn. "Don't worry, human, it shouldn't take us too long to reach the safe point!"

"My stomach is still sitting on my lungs…" whimpered Kisho as he hugged the unicorn's neck.

Missiles whistled around them and explosions filled the air. Unimon didn't respond only flew forward. Saberdramon and Airdramon dove back and forth in front of the unicorn. Kisho looked up and saw they were passing a large hill. Unimon chuckled and fired a bolt of lightning from his horn.

"Tempest Wing!" a spinning Halsemon shot past Kisho's path of vision.

"Eagle Eye!" twin lasers flashed over Unimon's head.

"Again…" whined Kisho as Unimon started to tilt upward.

"I haven't eaten much…and I'm still feeling rumbles in my gut!" whimpered DORUmon.

Missiles joined the Halsemon as the Pteranomon filled the sky with projectiles. Unimon started jerking and bucking as he tried to avoid the multi-vectored assault. Kisho felt his stomach leap and he closed his eyes.

"Meteor Wing!"

"Electro Shocker!"

"Blast Rings!"

Kisho looked up as three large figures dove out of the sky. One was a horned eagle, one was a flaming phoenix and the other was a large, blue beetle. Three Pteranomon exploded into dust as the attacks collided with them.

Unimon turned around and fired an orb at one of the Halsemon that was diving towards him. Saberdramon and Airdramon swooped down slamming one of the Halsemon into a tree. The three newcomers struck at the Pteranomon ranks like a hot knife through butter.

"That's Birdramon, Aquilamon and Kabuterimon," chuckled Unimon as he watched them slice through the Pteranomon. "Cream of my crop…the best aerial combatants on all of File Island."

"Equus Beam!" An emerald streak of energy shot from the sun Birdramon, the large phoenix, screeched as the beam crashed into her chest. The bird fought to regain her control over her fall and dove low over the forest canopy.

"Cat's Eye Beam!" streams of rose energy flew from the same place the emerald attack had and crashed into Kabuterimon and Aquilamon.

The large beetle, Kabuterimon, rolled backward and tumbled into the forest. Aquilamon, the horned eagle, fell backward for a few meters before regaining its control and charging forward. Two figures became visible in the sun's glare. One was a horse, in golden armor and with golden wings. The other was a white sphinx with large white wings.

"Everyone retreat!" shouted Unimon as he turned and started to fly from the two attacking digimon.

"Wait, you're running?" Kisho asked in shock. "We were winning!"

"'Were' is the word, those two are Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, commanders of the Armored Air Force…" replied Unimon as he flapped quickly gaining speed.

"But it's two on like six!" yelped Kisho loudly.

"Six or Sixteen there are times you are plain out classed!" returned Unimon loudly.

"Unimon!" shouted the sphinx as it flew forward, "To take you out of the picture would be most…pleasing to Lord Baronmon!"

"You'll have to get through us first!" shouted Airdramon and Saberdramon. The two digimon dove for the sphinx.

"Fools!" the sphinx turned on the two attacking digimon. A pink stream of energy flowed from the collar around her neck. "Rosetta Stone!"

A huge tablet appeared out of the pink energy and exploded forward in shards of rock. Saberdramon and Airdramon roared in pain as the rock shards sliced through them. The two digimon instantly turned to dust.

"See what I mean!" Unimon called to Kisho, "That's why we're retreating!"

"You aren't going anywhere, Unimon!" shouted the golden horse as it dove forward. A plate of armor on its forehead glowed bright green. "Equus Beam!"

A stream of emerald energy shot forward and crashed into the flank of Unimon. The unicorn howled and bucked hard, tossing Kisho and DORUmon from his back.

"Ruby Claw!" shouted the sphinx as rubies flew from the golden cuffs on her fore wrists. Unimon tumbled through the air with Kisho and DORUmon.

"Electro Shocker!" the beetle shot from the forest firing a blast of electrical energy up at the sphinx. The sphinx dove out of the way tilted her wings and turned to the beetle.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon glided forward and releasing a rain of meteors at the sphinx. The large white, winged lion easily escaped the attack.

"Grand Horn!" Aquilamon swept his horns at the golden horse but the horse was more agile and merely kicked the horns away.

Aquilamon, Birdramon and Kabuterimon hovered between Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. The last thing Kisho could see before the trees obstructed his view was of Nefertimon and Pegasusmon flying around the three digimon with a golden tether attached to their front feet. He heard the whistles of missiles and a far away explosions and then the ground hit.

888

"Thermal Mane!" roared the voice of the large flaming feline, Lynxmon.

Haru, Guilmon and Agumon were still trying to run from the beast, but it was pursuing them, even though the wolf-like Garurumon was constantly attacking the cat. The two would clash and squabble for awhile whilst Haru, Guilmon and Agumon ran, and then Lynxmon would break free from combat and chase them down, only to be interrupted by Garurumon again letting Haru, Guilmon and Agumon run away.

"This is stupid!" growled Haru as he hid under a tree.

"It's kind of getting annoying," Agumon replied as he peered out from under the tree.

Garurumon and Lynxmon were rolling around on the ground. Garurumon would fire a blast of blue flame at the feline. The feline would return the gesture. The two then leapt from each other and growled. Lynxmon leapt forward extending his claws. Garurumon leapt back and then pounced biting into Lynxmon's mane of flames.

"This is getting really old, is what it's getting," Haru looked up and watched as the two beasts wrestled.

"Thermal Mane!" roared Lynxmon as the wolf leapt backward.

The wolf opened its mouth and a stream of blue energy crashed into Lynxmon. The feline slid back as it was struck by the blue energy. Lynxmon wobbled slightly as it took a step forward.

"This may be it!" Guilmon said as he looked up at the fight, "It looks like Lynxmon is running out of steam!"

"Garurumon isn't looking too good himself," whispered Agumon as he looked at the heavily breathing wolf.

"Thermal Mane!" huffed Lynxmon as he launched a wave of flames at Garurumon.

The wolf slid as the flames crashed against his broadside. The wolf howled and opened its mouth. A blaze of blue energy slammed Lynxmon in the face. The two digimon teetered slightly and then fell to the ground.

"You mean we went through the fight of the century for a freaking draw!" Haru stood up quickly.

"Yeah…that was…surprisingly unfulfilling…" Agumon rubbed the back of his head.

"Does it matter, their both out cold?" Guilmon crawled out of the hole in the tree.

"Guilmon's right, let's get the heck out of here before round five hundred and six starts," Haru crawled out of the hole and turned to help Agumon. "Of course now we're completely lost…"

"Maybe not…" Guilmon's nostrils twitched. "I smell…cooking meat…"

"Cooking meat?" Haru looked at Guilmon.

"Yes…" the dragon nodded.

"Hey, I smell it too!" Agumon sniffed the air. The dinosaur started to run into the forest. "This way!"

"Hey, we don't know who this 'cooking meat' belongs to!" shouted Haru as he chased after Agumon.

Guilmon looked back at Garurumon and Lynxmon and then shrugged his shoulders and followed after Haru. Agumon scrambled through the forest and Haru wasn't far behind him. The shadows completely covered the forest floor and Guilmon seemed to be finding every root in the forest as he ran after the two. Guilmon finally caught up to Haru and Agumon, just as Agumon pushed through the bushes that led to a soft glow.

"If this is another Lynxmon, you guys are on your own," said Haru as Agumon ran into the clearing. Haru and Guilmon stopped dead in their tracks.

There was a pan of frying bacon. A fire was burning and the smell of the bacon was filling the clearing. Haru found he was drooling slightly as his stomach kindly reminded him he hadn't eaten for a day. Agumon staggered forward and looked down at the strips of meat.

"It's real…" whispered Agumon as he looked at the meat.

"It smells really good," Guilmon moved up next to the dinosaur.

"Yeah…it does…" Haru looked down at the bacon. "Maybe they won't notice…if we just take one or two strips…"

"Yeah…I mean they may as well think it was wild animals…" whispered Agumon as he looked at the bacon and reached forward.

"I'm so hungry…" whined Guilmon, "The person who is making this obviously came prepared…they would understand…"

"Ok then…two strips a piece, that's it," Haru nodded and looked at Agumon and Guilmon, who nodded in agreement.

The two digimon reached forward for the bacon.

"Didn't anyone tell you it was impolite to take things without asking?" shouted a voice. Haru stood straight up and turned. A man was standing at the edge of the forest, dressed in white. He walked forward and slapped Agumon's and Guilmon's hands. "Don't steal. The government hates competition."

"Sorcerymon!" Haru gasped.

888

"Do you think we're safe?" Taku huffed as he plopped down on a log.

"For now?" DemiDevimon heaved. "Maybe…"

In the forest behind them flames were roaring and the sounds of roaring and explosions filled the air. DemiDevimon looked at Taku.

"Are you ok, DemiDevimon?" Taku looked up at the bat.

"Could be worse…" DemiDevimon landed on Taku's head. "Could be better…overall…I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry!" Taku accused loudly.

"Well, if I didn't have to digivolve to save your butt all the time!" returned DemiDevimon with a smirk.

"Oh you like it and you know it," Taku said snidely and got up and started to walk.

"Hey!" DemiDevimon yelped. "Where are you going?"

"France," called out Taku loudly, "Where do you think? We have to find food somewhere!"

DemiDevimon smirked and took off after the boy. "Boy I hope we find some soon!"

"Me too, I'm just as hungry as you are," said Taku as he walked through the forest. He smiled, "Berries!"

"Yeah!" DemiDevimon dove for the bush and grabbed at the red marbles on the branches, he stuffed a clawful of berries into his mouth, "Oh…these are awesome!"

"Leave some for me, you pig bat!" yelped Taku.

"Oi, I am not a Patamon!" shouted the bat loudly.

Taku took a handful of berries and ate them. They were incredibly sweet and juicy. Taku ate some more as DemiDevimon hovered around eating berries.

"These are pretty good…" agreed Taku as he ate the fruit.

"Man I've never eaten berries this good before!" DemiDevimon chirped as he picked another one. "I feel my wings toning up as we speak!"

Taku paused and listened. The roars had disappeared. Taku's blood froze slightly. Something was moving towards them.

"DemiDevimon…" whispered Taku. "Do you think you could digivolve?"

"Yeah…probably…whatever these berries are made of…woo!" DemiDevimon giggled.

"I think we're about to get a visitor…" Taku looked up.

The bushes shook and a large beast appeared. Taku sighed in relief. The beast was Anklyomon. His armored shell was covered in scorches and scuffs but was otherwise unharmed.

DemiDevimon dove between Taku and Anklyomon. The large golden digimon grunted quietly and walked slowly up to the berry bush and ate. Anklyomon let out a relieved sigh and continued to munch quietly.

"The berries…are some sort of curative…" whispered Taku as he watched the scuffs in the armor smooth out and the scorches fade. "We should pick some for the others…just in case…"

"You got something to hold them in?" asked DemiDevimon.

"Uh…" Taku sighed. "No…" Taku paused slightly and then took off his shirt.

"What are you doing?" DemiDevimon looked at the boy in wonderment.

"Gotta carry them in something," replied Taku as he tied his shirt into a satchel, "Now pick some more berries and put them in this!"

"Right!" DemiDevimon nodded and flew to the top of the berry bush and picked berries. "What are we going to do then? How are we going to find the others?"

"We'll head back to the trail…head to the place we were supposed to meet…" Taku closed his eyes, "Hopefully we won't get lost!"

"Right!" DemiDevimon flew down and dropped the berries into the self-made satchel.

"Thanks Anklyomon!" called Taku as he started to walk away with DemiDevimon closely flying next to him.

The large dinosaur only grunted as it continued to eat more berries.

_888_

"_Now you need to be brave, Sorcerymon is very hurt," whispered Wizardmon as he pulled the curtain back. Viximon gasped slightly as she looked at the sleeping figure. His face was burned with red welts all over his skin. His golden hair was black with acid burns. _

"_But Wizardmon…he's so…" Viximon looked at the figure lying on the bed. "So…burnt…"_

"_I know, Viximon…" whispered the wizard quietly. The white robes were now black. The hat was ripped and torn. One of the figure's gloves was completely gone._

"_Is he going to…?" Viximon looked up at Wizardmon. _

"_No..." Wizardmon said quickly, "but…he may not feel very well for a long time." _

"_Bearmon…" The figure whispered quietly as its eyes opened, "Where's Bearmon?" _

"_I'm sorry, brother," Wizardmon put his hand on the bedridden figure's shoulder. "Don't move, you're in a hospital…"_

"_Bearmon…" whispered the figure._

"_Sorcerymon, please, listen, Bearmon is…" Wizardmon closed his eyes, "gone, he and the Divermon that fell off the cliff deleted…he did it to protect you…"_

"_No…" Sorcerymon closed his eyes. "It was my fault…I should've sensed their presence…I should've known…"_

"_Don't," Viximon yelped, "It wasn't your fault, Master Sorcerymon!"_

"_Wizardmon, the young one…" whispered Sorcerymon quietly, "Why is she here?"_

"_I couldn't leave her home, and she has wanted to see you for many weeks," replied Wizardmon quietly, "I think it's for the best…"_

"_To remind me of other failures in my watch keeping?" whispered Sorcerymon quietly. _

"_No, to remind you of the reasons why you led those digimon into combat," Wizardmon snorted quietly, "For being so wise you often times can be amazingly dense…"_

"_You just need to be strong, Sorcerymon, don't worry, Kotemon and the Patamon twins are really coming along," Viximon chirped. "Don't worry…" _

"_I'm not worried," whispered Sorcerymon. The wizard looked up at Viximon, "but you're the one that looks as if she's about to cry…don't cry…I'm fine…you just need to be brave for a little while longer…" _

_888_

Renamon hopped to the opposite side of the river and looked back. Greymon was on the ground with Moosemon charging him again.

"Get up!" shouted Ren loudly.

Moosemon snarled and sliced his antlers forward. Ren closed her eyes as the large tyrannosaur roared in pain.

"Ren, we have to leave!" Renamon grabbed the girl around the waist, "We have to go now!"

"But Greymon!" the girl cried.

"I know…but he's a wild digimon, this is the sort of thing they live through everyday," Renamon replied as she pulled the girl along with her.

"It doesn't make it right!" Ren struggled against her partner.

"There is nothing we can do!" Renamon spun Ren around to face her. "We would only get killed; now come on!"

"Renamon…" Ren looked up at the fox and tears filled her eyes.

"Don't start crying," Renamon said with a growl, "I don't like this anymore than you do, but there is nothing we can do, so we might as well leave!"

"Renamon…but…" the girl swallowed hard. "But…"

"No buts, let's go before Moosemon crosses the river," Renamon picked Ren up cradle style. The girl protested loudly but Renamon leapt into the trees and started to run. "Don't worry, Greymon will be back, one day…but right now he must die to protect you."

"I don't want anyone to die protecting me…" Ren whispered quietly.

"I don't want it to happen either but that's how the world works," Renamon replied as she flitted through the tree limbs. "We'll go to the rendezvous…and regroup…evidently Armored Command must see us as a threat…to have put a price on our head…"

"I'm hungry…" whispered Ren quietly to the fox.

"I am too, but we're not stopping, not until we know we're safe!" Renamon bound from one tree to the next.

"Then we aren't ever going to stop, we're never going to be safe!" Ren started to cry again.

"Now is not the time for tears, please, Ren, be brave for a little longer, when we get to the rendezvous we can look for something to eat!" Renamon said hurriedly as she dropped to the forest floor and rushed over the ground in bounding steps. "Please, Ren…be brave…"

888

Kisho winced as he sat up. His back hurt, and his arms hurt, his entire body ached. He winced and stood up. DORUmon was hopping around amongst the trees. He could see the shadows of Unimon limping around. One of the unicorn's wings looked as if was bent back on itself.

"Unimon…" Kisho walked to the unicorn.

"It's amazing," murmured Unimon as he looked at the child.

"I know, I was thinking the same thing," DORUmon said, "No matter how far they seem to fall, or how badly they get blown up…I've never seen them ever get a broken bone; it's amazing!"

"I think; it's destiny," replied Unimon as he winced.

"Unimon, your wing…" whispered Kisho as he reached up.

"Don't touch it!" snapped the unicorn, "It's in excruciating pain."

"There has to be something we can do," DORUmon looked at Kisho and then at Unimon.

"I don't know…I'm a kid not a veterinarian…" Kisho looked down at DORUmon. "If he was human I'd say make a splint…well…that's what they do on TV…"

"How do you make a splint?" DORUmon tilted his head in curiosity.

"Well on TV…" Kisho put his hand to his chin, "On TV they usually had two boards, flat and sturdy boards…and some sort of tape or something to tie them tight against the broken thing."

"Sturdy boards…mmm, maybe some flat pieces of wood," DORUmon looked around.

"Yeah, like bark or something and we could use vines for the tape…" Kisho walked around Unimon, "but…we'd have to straighten out the wing…and stuff…"

"I found some flat pieces of bark!" shouted DORUmon as he hopped forward carrying two large pieces of wood in his arms. "And there are some vines back there, too."

"Great, we'll mend you up just right," cheered Kisho with a smile.

"Why do I have this horrible feeling of foreboding…?" Unimon growled as Kisho measured the planks of bark against Unimon's wings.

"It's probably the wing," Kisho smiled quietly.

"Here's the vines!" called DORUmon loudly.

"Ok, DORUmon I need some help," Kisho looked down at the grey fox-raptor. He knelt down and whispered into the digimon's ear, "I need you to hold Unimon's wing straight…ok?" DORUmon looked up horrified at Kisho. The boy winked and turned to Unimon, "Can you kneel down; we need to be able to reach the wing…"

"This best not be overly painful…" grumbled Unimon as he dropped down on his forward knees.

"I can't…guarantee anything…" breathed Kisho as he looked at the wing on eye level and whispered softly under his breath, "especially since I have no idea what the heck I'm doing…"

"What did you say?" Unimon growled.

"Especially since this is a heck of a way to do things!" laughed Kisho nervously. "DORUmon…firm but…not DORUgamon strength, straighten his wing…" Kisho looked to Unimon. "This may hurt…a smidgen…" Kisho nodded to DORUmon.

DORUmon pulled the bent part of Unimon's wing straight and in alignment with the unbent part of the wing. The unicorn roared in pain.

"SON OF A…." Unimon gritted through clenched teeth.

"Not much longer!" shouted Kisho loudly as he pressed the two planks of bark on either side of the wing.

He quickly wrapped the rope around and around the wing and the planks. He tied the ends off the ropes and leapt free. Unimon swore as he stomped around the clearing. DORUmon and Kisho backed away from the growling unicorn. The horse suddenly stopped. His ears twisted around.

"We must leave this place…" Unimon said between winces of pain.

"Why?" asked Kisho quietly.

"Thunder Blast!" flashes of lightning shot through the forest.

"That's why! That was Raidramon, he's the ruthless patrol commander of this portion of forest," growled Unimon loudly as he started to make his way through the forest. "This way, there is a road not far from here, with my wing…in this position I can't move fast through the forest. There is a village, up the road from here; we should find some sympathy there, it's a village of Bakemon, and is currently not completely under Baronmon's control. Come on hurry, the faster we're on the road the faster we can leave Raidramon's territory!"

"Come on," Kisho looked back at the forest as it flared with another lightning blast. He gripped DORUmon's hand. "We need to stick with Unimon."

"Ok, Kisho…" whispered DORUmon as he followed the boy.

888

"Ren…I am sorry I yelled," Renamon looked at the girl. The fox sighed slightly when Ren curled up and looked at the ground, "I was, am worried about your safety…"

"I'm still hungry," Ren whispered quietly as she sat on a rock. The night had filled the sky, but dark clouds obscured the stars. "I thought we would look for food…"

"We will…eventually," Renamon whispered as she looked at the ground, "I want to wait for someone to come, I don't want to give them the impression that…we didn't come…"

"What if no one comes?" Ren looked up. Her eyes had tears streaming from them.

"Then we continue tomorrow, looking for Haru," Renamon replied.

"I'm scared Renamon, it's dark and Moosemon is out there…and the others," Ren sniffled and then took in a deep breath, "and you are so exhausted…I've just become a big hindrance to everyone…"

"Ren…" Renamon crossed the gap between then and hugged the child, "No…not a hindrance…"

The bushes rustled and Renamon's eye glared up. She gripped Ren's shoulders tightly and let out a soft growl.

"Woah, woah, foxy lady, settle down!" called a familiar voice. DemiDevimon's shadow hovered forward. "It's just us! Where's the fire?"

"We didn't make one, we ran into an Armored digimon named Moosemon…" Renamon growled softly, "I've exhausted my strength completely…I can't even execute a Rookie attack."

"Then it's a good thing we got here when we did," said Taku as he walked out.

The darkness only revealed his form in the shadows as he walked forward. Something fell at Renamon's feet. The fox tilted her head. She couldn't get a fix on what it was, it smelled like a combination of berries, Taku and smoke.

"What is this?" Renamon asked as she reached forward.

"Well, after we got attacked by Setmon, we ran all over the forest until Anklyomon happened to get a bit pissed at him and allowed us to escape and find some berries," explained Taku's voice as his shadow shifted and moved.

"I'm getting us some kindling, I can't stand talking to shadows," grumbled DemiDevimon as his shadow disappeared into the night.

Renamon used her fingers to find the knot on the top of the satchel and untied it. The fox reached down and picked up a handful of berries. Renamon gently took Ren's hand and put the berries in the child's hand.

"Eat, Ren…" whispered Renamon as she reached down for a handful of her own. The fox flitted her tongue out and tasted them. She blinked and looked up at the shadow of Taku, "Do you know what these are?"

"Berries…" Taku said incredulously.

"Oh, they are more than just berries," whispered Renamon quietly as she ate another one, "They are Zenchi Berries…very rare…actually the last I heard they were extinct…"

"Umm…that doesn't tell me anything…" Taku said. DemiDevimon glided forward and the wooden plinking sound of sticks falling on compacted earth filled the air.

"Zenchi Berries have immense amounts of vitamins, minerals…just about everything a single being needs to survive…" Renamon whispered as she ate another berry, "Immuno-stimulants…collagen and fibrogen molecules…"

"So…what are you saying?" Taku asked as DemiDevimon grunted with a stick. The sound of wood rubbing on wood hissed into the air.

"These berries are a cure all," Replied Renamon as the fire crackled to life.

"TAKU!" yelped Ren as she covered her eyes, "You didn't say you were naked!"

"I'm not naked you ditz!" shouted Taku, "I've not got my shirt on; how do you think we carried the berries?"

Ren giggled slightly and looked up, "Oops…"

"Yeah…" Taku sat down on the opposite side of the fire, "So…where's our mighty leader, Kisho?"

"I have no idea," Renamon replied. "I suspect that he must have been attacked like the rest of us…"

"And if he was like us…then DORUmon can't digivolve," said DemiDevimon.

"They could be hiding anywhere…" Ren sighed and looked at the flames.

"Well, what do we do?" Taku looked at Ren and then at Renamon.

"If I was Kisho and DORUmon, and I had been forced to run into the wilds," Renamon started to postulate. "The first thing I'd do would be to find a road…or a village…"

"Well, here's a road…" Taku patted the ground.

"There is a village about ten kilometers up," Renamon replied quietly, "That would be a good place to start looking…"

"Awe…you don't mean that crappy Bakemon village…do you?" grumbled DemiDevimon as he pokes the fire with a stick.

"I do," Renamon growled softly, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh come on, it's a ghost town!" DemiDevimon growled.

"That wasn't funny three years ago, and it's not funny now…" growled Renamon quietly.

"I don't get it…" Ren looked up.

"Well…you see…" started DemiDevimon.

"Never mind, it's a stupid joke…" Renamon snorted as she rolled her eyes.

"I think it's very funny," DemiDevimon fluffed his wings. "So nyah!"

"Anyways, we will depart for the village in the morning, hopefully, with any luck; we'll find either Kisho or Haru on the way…and not meet up with Moosemon…" Renamon sighed quietly.

"Talking of which, shouldn't we keep watch tonight," Taku said quietly, "Do you want to take watch now, Renamon or later tonight?"

"If it is ok with DemiDevimon, I would rather sleep now, and watch later," Renamon replied quietly as she leaned back against a rock. "Even with the Zenchi Berries, I still feel fatigued."

"Right," Taku stretched and got up. "Come on, let's patrol, that should keep us awake…"

"Ok…" DemiDevimon opened his wings and glided after Taku.

888

"I'm truly sorry Sorcerymon, if I had known…" Haru bowed deeply in front of the white wizard.

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Sorcerymon waved his hand. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"We were going to the top of Infinity Mountain," Haru explained. "Baronmon has my brother."

"The small one?" Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Haru nodded, "And I was sick of running around with the others…"

"You were going to take on Infinity Mountain alone?" Sorcerymon shook his head, "Fools tread…"

"Hey, what were you doing out here?" Haru snapped angrily.

"Going to the top of Infinity Mountain, alone," chuckled Sorcerymon, "Like I said, 'Fools tread…'"

Haru let a quirky grin play across his face, "Well, anyways we got lynched by Lynxmon…and then this Garurumon came…and we ended up out here in the boonies…"

"Actually, you aren't that far from civilization," Sorcerymon said quietly. He smirked slightly. "Civilization is the art of living in towns of such size that everyone does not know everyone else…"

"Huh?" Haru shook his head.

"There is a village not far from here, maybe…five kilometers, but it is composed of Bakemon, so I don't know if you'd call it civilization…but there will probably be supplies and such there," Sorcerymon replied in an airy voice.

"Are you going?" Haru looked at the wizard, "I would really like it if you helped me free my brother…"

"You should've thought of that before you left the others," whispered Sorcerymon as he walked around Haru and sat down against a tree. "Then you wouldn't be begging for my assistance…"

"I don't beg!" Haru spun around and stomped up to Sorcerymon, "I don't need your help or anyone's!"

"Boy, lower your tone…you'll attract Grizzmon," replied Sorcerymon with half a growl. "And sit down; you're blocking the fire…"

"Did you just tell me to sit down and shut up?" growled Haru loudly.

"Hmm, I guess I did, so why don't you be a nice lad and do it?" Sorcerymon looked up at Haru, "I know you think this is all a noble cause, save your brother, be the hero, get a kiss from Ren, but it's a fallacy wrapped up in an idiot's scheme. You can't beat a foe like Baronmon on your own. File Island couldn't beat him all together! You need the others."

Haru sat down next to Sorcerymon and glowered into the flames. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"I would still be with the others if they weren't so gung ho about running around with Monzaemon and Meramon," snorted Haru. He glared up at Sorcerymon. "Well?"

"They were just doing what they thought was right," replied the wizard, "I'm not here to judge you, I can barely judge myself. I do think you are correct but I can also see why they are correct. I do think that you must find your brother before Baronmon can do…something to him."

"What will he do?" Haru looked at Sorcerymon.

"I have no idea," Sorcerymon sighed, "but he will try to subvert the prophecy that denotes evil's defeat by the Chosen Ones…what he'll do, precisely, is unknown. He's probably as baffled as we are."

"I'm really worried about my brother…he's so young and…my parents would not be happy if I got home and told them he got killed by a…a…a…" Haru looked at Sorcerymon, "What is Baronmon anyways?"

"Oh…a mystic thingy…demon man digimon, member of the Nightmare Soldiers if I remember correctly," Sorcerymon shrugged, "He's humanoid…whatever he is."

"You don't even know?" Haru looked skeptically at Sorcerymon.

"Well, I've been out of the loop for years…" replied Sorcerymon, "Add onto that, the fact I don't really care…and Vwalla."

"I suppose…" sighed Haru quietly.

"Oh don't stress so much!" Sorcerymon said as he patted Haru's back, "Jiro will be fine, he's a tough boy, and Baronmon is an idiot…so there is nothing to overly stress about." Sorcerymon lifted his snowflake shaped staff and pointed over to Guilmon and Agumon. They were both sleeping deeply; their stomachs full of bacon and bread. "I am convinced that a light supper, a good night's sleep, and a fine morning, have sometimes made a hero of the same man, who, by an indigestion, a restless night, and rainy morning, would have proved a coward."

"Are you saying get to bed?" Haru looked at the wizard quietly.

"Your brother needs a hero, not a zombie," replied Sorcerymon quietly. "Go on, sleep, I'll watch things."

Haru looked at the wizard and then slowly stood up and walked over to Guilmon and Agumon. He laid down on the ground and put his hands behind his head and sighed before closing his eyes.

888

"My lord," A red masked ape bowed before Baronmon. "I have come to tell you, Shurimon has arrived…"

"Good…" Baronmon whispered quietly as he looked up. "Bring him in, Sepikmon."

"Of course my lord," Sepikmon stood up and backed out of the throne room.

A minute later the door opened and a vine armed digimon appeared. Cream colored robes covered its lanky body. A green leaved cloak laid on its shoulders. Its hands and feet were large shuriken and a large, metal star rested on its back. Golden eyes glowed between a cream colored hood and a beige, cloth, face mask.

"You called?" whispered the ninja in a quiet, husky voice.

"I have a special assignment for you," Baronmon said quietly as he looked at the ninja, "Have you ever heard of a digimon named Sorcerymon?"

**888**

**AN: Long chapter today. Probably due to the fact everyone has to be lots of places…(If JK Rowling can use that as an excuse for Order of the Phoenix's length I can use it too…) **

**Kohenkyo is Renamon's attack, Fox Change Void, ie her kitsune universe. **

**Zenchi: Means, quite...creatively, full recovery/heal...**

**Dark Qiviut: Eh, I have plans for Taku...that's all I'm going to say. **

**M.K. Green: There is a method to my Guilmon madness, not so much Renamon's, more of a wanting of a water digimon too…**

**Blue: Well, there is a champion level Flamedramon in Fall of Harmony. This chapter is odd in that none of the digi-destined actually take part in any of the battles in any meaningful way. I always have pushed for weird digivolutions, only because they deserve to exist. **


	14. The Black Shadow of Hate

**I don't own digimon**

**The Black Shadow of Hate**

**888**

Haru pushed the bushes aside and took a step out onto a path that was revealed on the other side of the foliage. Small, shanty like houses surrounded the small road. Haru sighed and took a step forward. Behind him, two digimon walked forward. The larger one was a red and black dragon with ear wings on its head. The smaller was a miniature, orange tyrannosaur with a flat broad snout. Haru put his hands into his pockets and sighed quietly to himself. A white wizard stepped from the forest a few seconds after the two digimon.

It was a calm cool morning and the dew dripped from the leaves of the bushes. It was almost like nothing horrible happened the day before or in fact ever. Haru stretched quietly and looked up. A line of ghost-like digimon hovered in the street. They were merely tattered cloth hung over an unseen frame that eerily hovered a foot above the ground. Large pointed teeth appeared on their tattered mouths and large eyes peeked through eye holes in the cloth.

"This is kind of creepy," whispered Haru as the white wizard walked past him.

"You should've seen them when Lord Bakemon was in power," replied the wizard with a vague smirk. "Let's just say, they were like Vikings…raiding and pillaging villages and such…most unpleasant."

"What happened to Lord Bakemon?" whispered Haru tentatively.

"Well the Armored digimon attacked and sealed him somewhere in the village…" replied the wizard quietly as he stretched.

Three Bakemon floated by the group of travelers.

"Hey, umm…Bakemon," Haru shouted as he ran in front of the ghosts, "Do you know where we could possibly find some supplies or food or something?"

"Huh?" The middle ghost looked up and looked at Haru, "Who are you?"

"He's a digi-destined!" The red dragon that Haru had been appeared with called.

The ghosts looked at each other and then looked at Haru. "Digi-destined…?"

The ghosts huddled together and growled and murmured to each other. They turned, looked at Haru and then jetted down the street in the opposite direction.

"HEY!" Haru shouted as he ran after them. He stopped after about ten steps and looked down, "That was just rude…"

"Mmm," The wizard walked next to Haru with the dragon and the tyrannosaur. "The overall feeling of this place has changed…"

"What are you talking about Sorcerymon?" asked the dragon quietly as he sniffed the air.

"Don't you feel it, Guilmon?" asked Sorcerymon as he walked in small circles and looked to the sky, "Like an invisible veil of tension has overlaid this village..."

Haru looked around. He listened. "Sorcerymon's correct, something is…off…it's gotten quiet very fast. The other Bakemon are gone too…"

"Maybe it's a ceremony?" chirped the dinosaur quietly as he looked around.

"No, Agumon," Sorcerymon looked around and narrowed his icy blue eyes, "Bakemon ceremonies are held at night; they're dark digimon so their powers only increase at night, making it silly for them to try and perform any sort of magic during the day…"

"Oh, there they are!" Guilmon pointed up. A line of Bakemon had formed on the far end of the street. Their teeth were bared and their cloth arms revealed large blue claws. "See, nothing weird is going…"

"Guilmon," Haru gritted through his teeth, "don't they looked a little miffed to you?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Guilmon put a claw to his lips.

"Dark Claw!" roared the ghosts as their arms shot forward.

The butt of a demonic palm slammed into Haru's chest propelling him through the air, backward. Haru crashed to the ground a meter behind his original position and skid across the ground. Guilmon and Agumon growled as the claws scratched against their scaly skin.

"Aquarius Fill!" snapped Sorcerymon as his crystalline staff glowed and slapped a swarm of claws back to their owners. "What's the meaning of this?"

"The digi-destined…must be captured!" growled the Bakemon loudly. "At all costs! Dark Claw!"

Sorcerymon dodged and bent and rolled away from the claws as they flew forward. The wizard glared at the ghosts.

"You're starting to make me mad…" Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes and lowered his head so that his eyes were only barely visible from under the brim of his hat, "And you won't like me when I'm mad…"

"We can not help it," shouted the Bakemon as they advanced. "We must have the child captured!"

"I can't allow it!" Sorcerymon pointed his staff forward.

"Then you'll have to stop us!" growled the Bakemon loudly. Hands shot forward as the blue claws extended, "Dark Claw!"

"Aquarius Fill!" azure lightning slashed from the snowflake staff of Sorcerymon into the herd of rampaging claws repelling them back. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"V Head Butt!" shouted five voices. Before Sorcerymon could look up, five, blue dragons crashed their large foreheads into his flank. The wizard was sent careening into a wall and crashed to the ground hard.

"That was…better…" grumbled the wizard as he tried to get up.

"V Head Butt!" a golden V on one of the dragon's foreheads glowed brightly, as the little dragon launched forward, slamming its forehead into Sorcerymon's chest. Sorcerymon groaned loudly and slumped to the ground and his head flopped forward, causing his hat to drop off, revealing his golden hair.

Haru, Guilmon and Agumon looked at the five new digimon. They were squat and small, but walked on their hind feet. A small horn was placed on their small snout. They were overall blue save for the white tummy and skin around the digimons' mouths.

"Veemon…" whispered Agumon quietly, "Rookie digimon…"

"And they're wailing on Sorcerymon?" asked Haru as he looked at the unconscious wizard.

"They must have knocked the wind out of him," said Guilmon. The dragon snarled slightly as the Veemon turned to them. Guilmon snorted. "Go away!"

"We won't go!" growled one of the Veemon. He was slightly bigger and stood in front of the others. "We're here to keep the village secure; Commander Ponchomon will be very happy when he sees you being led to the jails."

"We're not being led anywhere!" growled Agumon as the tyrannosaur moved forward.

"You want to play rough, huh?" asked the big Veemon. The blue digimon leapt forward. "V Head Butt!"

"Pyro Sphere!" snarled Guilmon as he released a fireball at the blue creature.

"Pepper Breath!" sniped Agumon as he joined his fellow digimon.

The two fire attacks exploded over the broad frontalis of the Veemon as it charged. The dragon leapt and slammed his forehead into Guilmon tossing the larger dragon backward. The Veemon then leapt back hit the ground and launched forward punching Agumon in the chin with its clawed hands.

Guilmon stood up and snarled and jumped forward with his claw held up for a karate chop. "Rock Breaker!"

Veemon leapt back and let the edge of Guilmon's hand dent the ground. The blue dragon then jumped forward slamming his hard forehead into the flank of red and black dragon. Guilmon rolled onto Agumon.

"Get up!" yelped Haru loudly.

"Guilmon, get off me…" replied Agumon weakly.

"Agumon…" Guilmon started and then he began to giggle, "That tickles!"

"Now's not the time!" shouted Haru loudly.

"Wild Nail Rush!" Haru spun around as a large, flaming lynx crashed onto the scene. The Veemon scrambled backward as the large feline growled at Haru. "I found you!"

"No! They are mine!" shouted a weasely voice. Haru turned around again to see a poncho wearing, phantom cactus pushing through the Bakemon, who were hovering at the end of the street. The cactus glided up to where the Veemon were standing and glared at the lynx. "I caught them, they are mine, Lynxmon!"

"No, they are my prey!" growled the lynx. "I was the one that hunted them down and fought a Garurumon for…I will take them, not you, Ponchomon!"

"No, you won't!" snarled the cactus. "Finders keepers! My territory my prisoners!"

"Over my doused body!" snarled the lynx. "Thermal Mane!" Streams of fire shot from the cat to the cactus.

"Cactus Bat!" growled the cactus as orange bats flew from the arms of the poncho and absorbed the fire.

"Wild Nail Rush!" the lynx leapt at the cactus, but the cactus had other plans as he punched forward.

"Tequila Punch!" The lynx's claws and the cactus's barbed wire fist collided and the two digimon were flung from each other.

"Dang it, HoneyBeemon, help me!" shouted the cactus as it struggled to get upright.

A golden armored bee flew forward. Its head was covered by a golden helmet that resembled a centurion's. His armor was round and smooth. The only sharp projections on the body were a red spike on its head and the claws on its hands.

"Paralyze Stinger!" The bee pushed its abdomen forward and stinger-like projectiles shot around Lynxmon. The fire cat leapt around the stingers and snarled upward.

"Thermal Mane!" roared the cat as flames licked into the air around the bee.

"I don't get paid enough for this!" yelped HoneyBeemon as he buzzed into the air.

"COWARD!" shouted Ponchomon as the cactus turned on Lynxmon, "See what you've done?"

"I don't really care," snarled Lynxmon as he leapt forward.

"We should be getting out of here," hissed Haru as he backed towards Guilmon and Agumon. The two digimon looked up from the ground and scrambled to their feet. "First we need to get Sorcerymon and then we need to get out of here…"

"Right!" nodded Guilmon and Agumon and turned.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the large Veemon as the other blue dragons walked up behind him.

"Pyro Sphere!" was Guilmon's reply, releasing a fireball into the quintet of Veemon. The five dragons hopped out of the fireball's path and then collectively jumped Guilmon, taking the larger, red dragon to the ground.

"Agumon!" Haru looked at the tyrannosaur.

"Right! HI Yah!" Agumon leapt into the fray. Five seconds later Agumon and Guilmon were lying on the ground, tied up. Haru sighed and looked down.

"Take them away!" shouted Ponchomon as he sent a swarm of orange bats to attack Lynxmon.

The Veemon started to push Guilmon and Agumon forward when hundreds of golden shards exploded from the sky. They were followed by five large syringes. A golden fox dropped down between the Veemon and swept a foot around knocking three to the ground. A round bat dove from the sky ramming another Veemon in the gut. The large, leader Veemon was all that was left and he glared from the fox to the bat.

"Pyro Sphere!" shouted Guilmon as he struck the Veemon in the back with a fireball and the blue dragon staggered forward and then fell on his face.

The fox leapt forward and sliced through Agumon and Guilmon's binding with her claws. The bat flew over to Sorcerymon and slapped the wizard a couple of times rousing the magician.

"Come on, come on!" The bat took Sorcerymon's hand and started to tow him through an alley.

"Hurry," the fox grabbed Haru's hand and pulled him after the bat.

Guilmon and Agumon looked at each other and then followed Haru.

"Get back here!" snarled Lynxmon as he started to leap after the digimon.

"No, you stay here!" shouted Ponchomon as he grabbed Lynxmon's tail and yanked the cat back to the ground. Ponchomon dove towards the digimon and Haru, "I'll deal with this!"

"No you won't!" growled Lynxmon as he dropped his paw down on the poncho of the cactus and pinned the phantom plant to his place.

"Great now they are getting away!" shouted Ponchomon loudly as he struggled.

"What if I offer you a…resolution to our little argument?" asked Lynxmon as he released the cactus, which caused the phantom plant to struggle himself into a door. "We work together, and we share the reward?"

"Yes!" Ponchomon shouted as he peeled himself from the door.

888

"Where are we going?" yelped Haru as he was dragged down the alley by Renamon.

The fox looked back, "Ren and Taku are here, we were hoping to get supplies…and find Kisho and you. Instead we find a war zone…"

"Hey, that was not our fault!" shouted Haru as he pulled down the street.

"That's not the worst of it, Renamon's boyfriend, Moosemon, is on our tails!" shouted DemiDevimon as he and Sorcerymon glided through the air.

"Moosemon?" Haru looked up at Renamon.

"He is not my boyfriend," snarled the fox as she glared at DemiDevimon. She looked back at Haru. "He found us yesterday when we were searching for you. We barely got away…but he tracked us down and has been harassing us all day…"

Renamon and DemiDevimon shot into a square, the center of which was a large fountain. Ren and Taku were hiding on the far end of the fountain. Renamon and DemiDevimon let go of Haru and Sorcerymon and rushed to their partners.

"There he is!" Taku turned his head and pointed at Haru. "Damn you!" shouted Taku loudly as he stood up. His shirt wasn't on, and his skin was a pale white, though it was starting to turn pink. He glared at Haru with his obsidian eyes. "You nearly got us killed yesterday!"

"What?" Haru looked at Taku angrily, "What are you talking about?"

"If you hadn't gone all half cracked on your own, we'd never had to have gone searching for you, and if we hadn't had to go after you, we wouldn't have had to been nearly killed by a psycho mastodon and stalker moose!"

"I never asked you to come looking for me!" shouted Haru loudly.

"I wouldn't have except Kisho wanted us to find you, so we could make a plan for getting your brother back!" shouted Taku in return, "but no, you got greedy! You ran off like a fool!"

"Don't call me a fool!" shouted Haru loudly, "I wasn't the ones that wasted all our time with Monzaemon and Meramon and everyone else, we should've went straight to Infinity Mountain and stomped down the doors, instead we mucked around, and now my brother is in the hands of some crazy…" Haru stopped as his flustered and angry mind struggled for the word he was looking for.

"Thing…" offered Sorcerymon quietly.

"Anyways, it's because you guys were willing to piss around with the stupid other digimon that they got away with my brother in the first place!" shouted Haru loudly, "You guys plain slowed me down!"

"Oh don't you start blaming us!" shouted Taku loudly.

"Stop…he's right…" Ren looked up at Haru and then at Taku, "Taku, he's right, we could've gone faster…we could've woken up earlier, we could've gone the day before…it's our fault…please…"

"Ren…" Taku gritted his teeth and glared at the girl.

"Taku…just stop…" Ren whispered as she looked at Haru. "Are you guys ok?"

"We're fine…we have to get out of here though, Lynxmon isn't too far from us," Haru looked back down the alley.

"Here," Renamon walked forward and handed Guilmon and Agumon some berries, "Eat these."

"Are those…" Sorcerymon pushed forward and looked at the berries in the fox's hand.

"Yes, Master Sorcerymon, they are Zenchi Berries," Renamon nodded and gave two to the wizard.

"Amazing…" Sorcerymon whispered as he gently pulled down his mouth guard and opened his stitched mouth to eat the berries. "They are indeed everything people say they are…"

"Really guys can we focus?" Haru looked at the digimon as they ate all but six of the berries.

"Right…We must go…" Sorcerymon drew his cloak together.

"You aren't going anywhere!" snorted a low voice. Renamon groaned as a large blue moose clopped into the square.

"You're outnumbered, moose!" shouted Haru.

"Bah!" the large antlered digimon replied as a wind swept around the prongs of his antlers. "Hanging Twister!"

The wind shot forward slamming the digimon and their partners into the street. The digimon struggled up only to be blown back down again. Sorcerymon growled and leveled his staff on the moose.

"Thermal Mane!"

"Cactus Bat!"

A flapping, orange blaze crashed into Sorcerymon's back. The wizard stood and growled. He lifted his staff again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," growled the moose as he pointed forward with an antler.

Sorcerymon turned and saw that Ponchomon and Lynxmon were on top of the digi-destined. Lynxmon's claws hovered over Haru. Ponchomon's barbed wire fists were raised and ready to strike Ren and Taku.

"Give up…" chuckled the poncho wearing cactus, Ponchomon. "We got you covered!"

"Ah, you dirty little…" Taku started but a cloth wrapped around his mouth. Taku growled as he watched Ponchomon glide to Haru and the digimon as he held binding cloths.

"Right, now march!" snapped Ponchomon as he finished tying off the last mouth binding around Ren.

The girl winced and struggled slightly but a slight scratch from the barbed wired hands of Ponchomon silenced the child. The digi-destined and their equally bound digimon walked slowly forward at the direction of Ponchomon. Sorcerymon was bound around his arms and legs and a cloth was tied over his eyes and mouth. His staff was being held by Ponchomon and he was hung from one of Moosemon's antlers.

Taku glared up at Haru and Haru would glare back, until one of the armored digimon would snap about 'looking ahead'. Ren only bowed her head and looked sadly at her tied up partner. The fox walked with dignity as she was paraded down the street. DemiDevimon walked slower than the other digimon, mostly because he wasn't used to such earthly forms of locomotion, and soon the Armored Digimon grabbed him up and tied him up next to Sorcerymon. Guilmon sniffed every once in awhile and drops of water fell to the earth as he looked at the irritated face of his partner, Haru. Agumon glared up at Ponchomon and a nearly silent growl glowed from the tyrannosaur's voice box.

888

"Bastard…" Taku growled as he kicked the bars of their jail again. He swore at the pain that shot up his foot. He limped back to a small cot that was chained to the brick wall. His shirt had been replaced; the Zenchi Berries were now hidden in his pocket, or what remained of them. He quickly shoved his hands into his pocket to make sure the remaining berries were safe.

Ren looked up at Haru and then back at Taku. "We should…"

"What?" Taku glared at Ren, "What should we do? We can't do anything! Because some idiot ran away and we had to go find him which lo' and behold led to us being put behind bars!"

"Yes, just shout and yell; that's helping the situation!" Haru glared at Taku with eyes that burned like a propane fire, sharp and blue. "You know; if you used half a brain you'd wait until she'd finished the damned sentence before going into a tirade!"

"Why, so we can hear her whine about it being too weeeett, or too hoooott, or too some other damned thing we don't give a damn about?" shouted Taku as he glared at Ren. The girl furrowed her brow and tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. Taku snorted, "That's right, cry! You were going to anyways," Taku got up and walked over to the inside wall, glaring at the brickwork. "Stupid baby…"

Haru jumped Taku, the blonde driving the black haired boy into the brick wall opposite the entrance of the cell. "You apologize!"

"Get off me!" Taku growled as he struggled between Haru's firm arms and the brick of the wall.

"Apologize!" growled Haru loudly. He pressed against Taku's head a little harder, "You can't get away with this, not this time. Kisho might have let you slide, but I'm not!"

"Shove it!" growled Taku as he struggled all the harder.

"STOP IT!" Ren shouted. Haru turned his head and looked at the brunette. Her maroon school dress was frayed and dirty. Her hair was in a controlled state of disarray and he brown eyes were flooded with tears, "Why do you have to fight all the time? Why can't you guys just get along? We're all stuck here, none of us like it!"

"He's not going to sit here and…" Haru started but the girl only shook her head.

"Taku's being a jerk, what's new?" Ren looked up at Haru. "He's under stress, just like you are, like I am. You aren't the boss Haru, and even if he did apologize he would only be doing it because you're threatening to squish his brain against a brick wall. We need to focus on getting out of here, not fighting with each other!"

Haru grumbled softly under his breath and pulled Taku from the wall and released him with a little shove that sent him softly bumping back into the brickwork. The blonde walked across the cell and sat down on the cot Taku had left. Ren looked up at Taku and then sat down again on her cot. This left Taku with the decision of sitting next to Haru, pacing, or sitting next to Ren on the opposite cot and staring at Haru angrily. Taku growled softly and turned back to the wall and laid his head against the smooth, gray surface.

"We should've never been captured, we should've done something, why didn't our digimon digivolve…?" Taku growled as he punched the brick wall with the side of his fist.

"I don't know," Ren whispered as she looked up through the bars.

Across the corridor, Sorcerymon was bound, gagged and blindfolded. He was tied to a chair and was sitting silently in the middle of his cell. Ren sighed as she looked down at her hands which were intertwined and resting in her lap.

"Maybe they just didn't think of it…" Haru said. Ren looked up and looked at the blonde staring out of the cell and up the corridor.

"That's just nice…" Taku whispered into the wall. "All the other times it's been so instinctual, and the one time we could've used it they just forget…"

"Maybe they couldn't maybe they were still sapped from yesterday…" Ren postulated as she stared at Sorcerymon.

"I thought those Zenchi Berries were supposed to be…a sort of super power up thing…" Taku looked over to Ren quietly. He fiddled with his pockets and pulled the six remaining berries out. They were perfect and round. They had yet to leach or show any signs exploding or being squished.

"Maybe they only heal and leave the restoration of energy to the eater of the berries…" Haru said as he leaned back against the wall behind him.

"No, they were definitely doing something to DemiDevimon; I remember he said it felt like his muscles were getting stronger or something…" Taku said in a low voice. "So why didn't they digivolve?"

"I have no idea…" Haru sighed. "It doesn't really matter now; it's far too late to do anything."

"Now it is, but what if we go against Baronmon and they pull this…" Taku glared at the berries as he tried to think of a word, "inability out on us?"

"I don't know, all I do know, is that right now we can't do anything," Haru laid down, on the cot.

"We can wait, we'll think of something, we just need to settle down," Ren nodded and put on a forced smile.

Taku snorted in annoyance and leaned against the inner wall and slumped down against it.

888

"I don't know why we didn't digivolve," Renamon said for the fiftieth time in the last five minutes. The fox growled softly as her tail flicked back and forth.

"Well, I think it's a bit dodgy!" DemiDevimon was flapping around the jail cell. Three Bakemon hovered back and forth in front of the bars of the cell.

"We should concentrate on getting free," replied Agumon as he looked up at the Bakemon passing by. "You know you jerks shouldn't be helping Baronmon!"

"Agumon!" gasped Guilmon as the red dragon looked at the dinosaur.

"Well, it's true, whatever happened to protecting one's own!" Agumon ran up to the bars, "You guys just cower behind anyone big enough and strong enough to scare you! It's your kind that makes me sick!"

"Agumon!" Renamon snapped quietly, "settle down."

Agumon growled softly and spun around, "You're just as bad…thinking you're so tough because you're the oldest and the most trained…"

"Agumon!" Guilmon's eyes widened in surprise.

Renamon quirked an eyebrow and stood up, "I am curious as to what has brought on this rage…could it be because you feel a bit guilty about losing Jiro…"

"Renamon…" DemiDevimon hovered over the fox's head. "That's…uncalled for…"

"Is it?" asked the fox as she stared down at Agumon, "I know I haven't ever lost my partner…till now, and I'm not angry at the Bakemon or any of you without due reason…"

"Renamon, this isn't fair…he was ambushed…" Guilmon whimpered as he looked at the fox digimon.

"He thinks I am as bad as Armored Command…" Renamon replied, "and I am just suggesting that he may be equally as bad…since I protected my partner from the Armored digimon…"

Agumon growled again, this time much deeper, "I had a house on top of me…he had me outclassed…and off guard….don't you dare…"

"Why didn't you digivolve then? Maybe whatever you have is contagious…" Renamon returned with an arrogant swish of her elegant tail. "Maybe we should all get as far from you as possible…you could be diseased…"

Agumon's muscles twitched and his lips curled revealing fangs. The sides of his eyes also twitched from time to time in barely noticeable tics. "You think you're so strong because you can digivolve...I'll show you…"

"I'm strong without digivolving, Agumon," returned Renamon. The fox turned her back on the dinosaur, "and there is nothing that you could possibly show me that I wouldn't already know…"

"PEPPER BREATH!" roared Agumon as he fired a blast of flames into the wall.

Renamon was already in the air and directing her feet into a missile like kick, aimed at Agumon's chest. Agumon yelped and hopped back as the fox dropped down in front of him. Agumon leapt at the fox but Renamon was far too fast and leapt over the little tyrannosaur and landed behind him.

"Stop this now!" shouted Guilmon as a black aura started to envelop around Agumon. DemiDevimon flew in front of Renamon and Guilmon grabbed Agumon under the arms and held him in a hammer lock.

"She can't just say those things!" growled Agumon as he struggled against the larger red dragon, "She can't just say that I'm useless!"

"Renamon, are you out of your fur brained mind!" shouted DemiDevimon as he glared at the fox.

"I don't know," Renamon snarled quietly, "This whole…situation is beyond annoyance…and I'm sick of having to bail everyone out!"

"Bail everyone out?" DemiDevimon sighed and looked down, "It's the stress, your brain has fried…"

"Let me at her!" Agumon roared as he scratched at the floor with his feet. Guilmon had to tighten his grip to just hold the smaller tyrannosaur.

"Agumon, settle down, no one is blaming you; we're all a little cranky, but you need to settle down!" Guilmon pulled the small dinosaur back away from Renamon. "Just…calm down…take some deep breaths, count to ten…"

"One…" Agumon growled as he started to count.

"We need to think of a way to get out of here before we kill each other," DemiDevimon looked at Agumon with a twinge of worry as the darkness around the little therapod started to fade.

The beginnings of small, black wings receded back into the dark energy, and the crimson glow that filtered through Agumon's eyes blurred and disappeared. The dinosaur dropped back and panted as he counted and the last of the dark energy retreated back into him.

DemiDevimon looked at the dinosaur and then at Guilmon. The red dragon only gave a shrug of his shoulders and then looked up at Renamon. DemiDevimon looked up at the impassive vixen as she turned and glared at the passing guards. The Bakemon disappeared for three seconds as they turned the corner. A smile played across Renamon's face.

"I think I have an idea…" whispered the fox as she lowered her head and disappeared into the air.

888

"This way…" Unimon snorted as he clopped up the road.

His uninjured wing was folded against his body. His injured wing, the one Kisho had 'mended', was held out loosely as a weakly tied 'splint' held it up. The wing bobbled as the horse moved causing the equine to grunt and suppress half curses as he walked.

"Are you ok, Unimon?" asked DORUmon quietly as he hopped alongside the unicorn.

"The splint…" Unimon whispered as he looked back at Kisho who was dragging slowly behind him, his feet sliding across the earth. "Is slightly…it's just not…working…"

"Does it hurt as bad as when your wing wasn't being held up?" asked the gray digimon.

"No…but the bobbing does hurt…" growled Unimon as he winced again.

DORUmon sighed quietly. "Can you wait till we get to the Bakemon village? You will probably be able to get proper medical attention there."

"It won't be much longer…" Unimon replied as his ears twitched, "but I am afraid we will not be able to rest there…Raidramon is still coming…" Unimon growled as he turned his head skyward and the visor over the unicorn's eyes glowed, "and Pegasusmon and Nefertimon are gliding this way…"

"Kisho…" DORUmon hopped up to the boy as he shuffled slowly past. "Kisho can you please speed it up…we may be having an emergency."

The brunette lifted his darkened eyelids. "I am so…" Kisho looked up at the sky. "The sky is blue…"

"Kisho, please, stay focused!" DORUmon shook the child slightly.

"Huh…" Kisho looked at the gray digimon with slightly clearer eyes, "Oh hi puppy…"

DORUmon lowered and shook his head, "Kisho, please we need you to wake up!"

"Aww, but Mom it's Sunday…" whined the boy as he half attempted to stamp his feet, which resulted in a slight shuffle of heel over earth. "And the monkey said that if I was good I could have a lollypop…"

"He's just exhausted…" DORUmon looked up at Unimon, "We've never been awake an entire day before…he's probably never traveled like this…"

"Can you carry him?" asked Unimon as the horse started to looked up at the sky more sternly. "They are closing in quickly."

"I can try…" DORUmon whispered as he swept around and prodded Kisho on his back. "Oof…he sure looks smaller than he is…" grumbled DORUmon as he slowly waddled forward.

"Let us hurry; the village is just around the bend…" Unimon said as he started to walk. DORUmon nodded and walked after the equine digimon.

888

"Hey, Baka-mon!" shouted DemiDevimon as he glared through the bars. The ghosts stopped and glared at the bat. "Don't you think you should do a head count?"

"Why?" growled one of the ghosts.

"Because…one of us is missing!" DemiDevimon replied loudly. "There were five of us when you threw us in here! Now's there are four."

"Huh…what do ya know; he's right…" The Bakemon peered into the cell.

"You better check the cell, you don't want the rest of us escaping, Ponchomon would be really mad!" said DemiDevimon as he hovered in front of the bars.

"Right, get back!" growled the Bakemon as he pulled the keys from his sheet. The Bakemon unlocked the jail cell door and started to open it and stopped. The ghost looked up at Guilmon, Agumon and DemiDevimon. "You aren't going to try and jump me if I open this door, will you?"

"The thought never crossed our mind," Said DemiDevimon.

"Ok…" The Bakemon glided into the cell.

He turned left and right and then glided deeper into the cell. A fox phased into existence behind the ghost and crashed her interlocked fists onto the back of the ghost's head.

"Never said she wouldn't though," giggled DemiDevimon as the ghost slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Not now, DemiDevimon," The fox said as she stooped down and snatched the keys from the guard. "Come on!"

"Right behind you, Renamon!" DemiDevimon saluted as the fox ran past.

Guilmon and Agumon rushed after the bat and swept around slamming the cell door behind them. They looked both ways and then Renamon pointed down the corridor and started to run. They rushed past barred rooms with a foot of brick and cement work between them.

"This way, I can smell them," whispered Renamon as she turned a corner. The other digimon skid past the intersection and had to scramble back to go follow the fox.

Renamon leapt up and dropped down in front of a jail cell. DemiDevimon, Guilmon and Agumon seconds later were skidding to a halt in front of the cell.

"Guilmon, Agumon…you're up…" Renamon backed away from the bars.

"Taku, Haru, Ren, I'd stand back if I were you," DemiDevimon announced as Guilmon and Agumon opened their mouths.

"Pyro Sphere!"

"Pepper Breath!"

Multiple spheres of flame exploded into the metal bars. The black steel rods glowed bright red as they slowly softened under the heat of the attacks. Finally the bars caved and literally oozed away into nothing.

"Careful…" Agumon whispered as he helped Ren out. "The bars will still be hot…"

"Yes, don't get burned," Guilmon nodded as he helped out Taku and Haru.

"DOWN THERE!" shouted a rough voice.

"We've been found out…" Renamon looked back at Sorcerymon, "We've gotta get him free."

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon as a stream of flame burned against Sorcerymon's bars.

Guilmon snorted and charged the glowing bars and slammed the side of his clawed hand against the weakened rods shattering them. The dragon ran into cell and tore Sorcerymon's bindings from him and then pulled the white wizard into the corridor.

"Dark Claw!" long claws shot from the shadows as the digimon and their partners started to retreat.

"Don't worry…I've got this, go!" Sorcerymon turned around and opened his gloved hand, "Crystal Cloud!"

A white mist filled the corridor behind him and then the wizard ran after the children. As the wizard ran the mist faded revealing several crystalline statues of Bakemon. The children and the digimon ran several feet in front of the wizard as Renamon led them through the jail. Bakemon reared up but most of the Rookie digimon did away with them with a smack or a broadside attack.

"Pepper Breath!" roared Agumon at one point. The ghost that was the target of the fire blast shattered into black dust.

"Agumon, that's the third Bakemon, you've deleted outright…" Guilmon whispered as they ran. "Shouldn't you try and hold back?"

"Why? They are just the lackeys of Armored Command now…" growled dinosaur as he increased his pace.

"But they don't want to be…" Guilmon shouted after Agumon.

"In war, the differentiation between willing and unwilling combatants is blurred," called Sorcerymon from behind the dragon. The sorcerer ran up to Guilmon, "Have you noticed the unnatural amounts of energy Agumon seems to have…?"

"Yes, he tried to attack Renamon…I think he almost digivolved…" DemiDevimon dove down over Guilmon's head.

"I was talking to Guilmon…but thanks," Sorcerymon ran forward, "It's interesting though…"

"What is?" Haru shouted as the wizard passed him.

"That your digimon couldn't digivolve yet Agumon seems to be literally burning with energy…" Sorcerymon passed Haru and then Taku.

"You're not trying to say…" Taku looked up at Sorcerymon.

"That he's drawing up all your energy and somehow focusing it…or that he's somehow pulling power from you as you get close and causing a dampening field…" Sorcerymon finished Taku's coming suggestions, "Not impossible…but too many variables to really be sure…"

"How do we get that energy back?" shouted Haru loudly.

"Well, we got to figure out why he's drawing the energy or what the catalyst for this is…" Sorcerymon called loudly back to the blonde haired boy.

"It could be almost anything!" Ren shouted as they ran.

"I think I know…" whispered Renamon as she sprinted along next to Sorcerymon. "He's still having very strong guilty feelings about losing Jiro…and being captured by Ponchomon the digimon that took Jiro…"

"Would lead him to be even more stressed with that thought!" Haru shouted as he ran behind Sorcerymon and Renamon.

"Then we need him to let that frustration loose…or any digivice he comes in contact with will be drained of its energy…" Sorcerymon called as he put on the gas to try and catch Agumon.

The dinosaur was already turning a lit corner. There was a bright back flash of flame. The others reached the corner to find a door on the end of the corridor had been blown off its hinges.

"You know…this could be a bad thing…" DemiDevimon said the last flash of a long black tail disappeared upward. The bat looked at Renamon, "You shouldn't have egged him on…"

"I know…" Renamon replied as she walked out of the jail. "This way…" Renamon leapt up onto the buildings. "We have to catch him…"

"Hello! Digital World to Renamon!" shouted DemiDevimon as he looked up at the fox, "He has all of our digivolutional power, and he's digivolved, how can we contain him let alone catch him?"

"Suck it up, and be a mon," Renamon replied as she leapt across the divide and jumped from roof to roof.

"Come…we must try at least," Sorcerymon ran after Renamon on the ground.

Guilmon rushed past the bat. The dragon stopped and looked up at DemiDevimon. "We have to try; he'd do the same for us!"

"You know you guys are crazy!" shouted DemiDevimon as he flew after them.

"Come on guys!" Haru ran after DemiDevimon.

"It won't be safe here, not without our partners," Ren looked up at Taku, "and the Bakemon are coming, if we stay here we'll only be captured again."

Taku nodded and took Ren's hand and they ran after Haru.

888

"It isn't far now!" Unimon shouted as he galloped along.

DORUmon bounded after the horse in long, short leaps because the extra weight of Kisho kept him from gaining more height in his jumps. The crackle of thunder snapped and sparked behind them, and the sound of clawed feet galloping echoed from down the path.

"Raidramon…" hissed Unimon as he ran towards a collection of huts. "Here!"

DORUmon heaved a sigh of relief and leapt after Unimon. The two digimon rushed for the center of town. The huts, mostly wooden affairs with some white paint, bounded past them as they moved up the streets.

"What the…" DORUmon stopped suddenly as plumes of dust exploded into the air.

"A battle, no doubt!" Unimon's ears swiveled around, "I can hear it!"

"We have to help," DORUmon looked at Unimon, "Ok, I have to try and help, I mean you're wing is in no condition to be subjected to any offense…"

"I can still provide support," snorted Unimon as he galloped forward.

They rushed into the center square of the village. The sight that they saw was not what they had expected. Three Armored digimon were surrounding a large, black dragon, with large, tattered, black wings. Four crimson eyes glowed angrily from its head and long crimson nails scratched through the air. A black tail with a club on the end swished back and forth.

"Wild Nail Rush!" one of the Armored digimon, a flaming feline, leapt for the dragon, but the beast's long, wrapped arms grabbed the feline by the head and lifted it into the air.

"Lynxmon!" A blue moose charged forward baring its antlers on the dragon.

The black beast grabbed the antlered digimon with its free hand and then flapped its wings. DORUmon nearly fell backward at the force of the wing beats. The dragon held its arms out, holding the two Armored digimon in its hand, and then slammed its hands together. The two armored digimon screeched as they were squeezed together between the dragon's hands. Dark data dripped from the dragon's hands as the two digimon deleted.

"Tell me that's one of your guys…" gulped DORUmon quietly.

"I do not deal with savages," snorted Unimon as the dragon dropped back down to the earth and loomed, snarling, over the third Armored digimon, a cactus that wore a poncho and a floppy sombrero.

"Ponchomon," came the cold, hard growl from the lips of the dragon. The cactus shuddered in front of the dragon. "Where is he?"

"I do not know what you are talking about!" the cactus's shaking voice squeaked as he answered.

One of the dragon's black hands crashed down pinning Ponchomon to the ground. The hand then lifted up the cactus to bring it to eye level to the dragon. The four eyes glowed brightly and a red aura covered the cactus.

"I can see into your putrid soul…" growled the dragon. "You are insignificant, but yet you hopelessly search for power that you could never dream to control. You're a coward and an annoyance…It's not a surprise no one respects you…you're unrespectable. Now…where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" whimpered the cactus feverishly.

"DON'T LIE!" roared the dragon as he slammed the cactus down on the ground. The crimson claws that extended from the dragon's nimble fingers glistened, "I'll get it out of you if I have to slice it out of you! Where is Jiro? Where is the human?"

DORUmon blinked and looked up at the dragon. "Agumon…"

"He's, he's…" Ponchomon started to sputter as he wriggled and cried under the dragon's claws. "He's in a prison on Infinity Mountain!

"WHERE?" shouted the dragon loudly. The cactus shook in terror not responding. The dragon growled and pressed harder on the ponchoed cactus. "I'm losing patience!"

"Under the palace!" screamed the cactus loudly, "He's in a prison under the palace! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!"

"You don't deserve mercy…" growled the dragon as his long red claws slowly lowered down and touched the cactus's face. "The only question of what happens to you; is whether it happens fast or slow…"

"AGUMON!" shouted a voice, "Let him go!"

The dragon swept its head around sharply and glared. A fox, a red dragon and a round bat were rushing from the opposite side of the square. Behind them were three humans.

"Aquarius Fill!" A white wizard dropped out of the sky. His staff brandished in one hand. The dragon snarled as it dropped back from the white lightning that rained from the sky. "Stop this madness! You do not wish to kill him, he's nothing to you!"

"He doesn't deserve to exist!" roared the dragon as he slashed his crimson claws at the wizard.

"He's not important enough to kill either!" shouted the fox as she skidded between the dragon and the cactus. "If you kill him, it accomplishes nothing!"

"I will feel much better!" growled the dragon.

"But how will Jiro feel?" asked the red and black dragon as he stood next to the fox. "Renamon is correct, it would accomplish nothing…"

"You know, when Guilmon gets it right that it has to be pretty obvious!" shouted the bat loudly as he hovered over the other two digimon.

"Jiro would be incredibly sad if he found out you murdered someone in cold blood!" shouted one of the humans, a blonde. "He might be afraid of you!"

"Agumon, let it go, Ponchomon isn't worth it, the cactus is only a sniveling coward, you shouldn't waste your energy on him!" shouted another human, it was a black haired child with black clothes. "You gotta focus on Baronmon and getting Jiro some help!"

"Please…Agumon," called the last child, who wore a maroon dress, "You aren't really like this, you're kind hearted and gentle, not a monster…please…Agumon…come back to us…"

"Jiro will never want you to hurt like this, you must let go of that pain," called the white wizard.

"But…I'm so confused…" The dragon started to look at its hands. "I want to hurt him, I want to destroy him, and make him feel like I feel!"

"You know what the difference between a real digimon and just a digital monster is?" asked the fox quietly, "A digimon fights for a cause, fights to protect something…A Digital Monster just fights to destroy…to release its anger against anything in its path!"

The leathery wing projection on the dragon's ears drooped and it narrowed its four eyes. "He hurt me, like no other being could hurt another; he took away that one thing I live for…"

"If you kill him," DORUmon spoke up. "You'll be more of a coward than he is…just because he attacks and intimidates the weak does not give you the right to do it!"

Black smoke started to waft off the flesh of the dragon as he melted down to his more common look. The orange tyrannosaur left behind was standing and twitching in a state of shock looking at the claws on his hands, which were still smoldering with black energy. Agumon started to weave back and forth and he started to drop. Renamon swooped in and caught the small therapod as he fell.

"Renamon…I'm…sorry…" whispered Agumon as he closed his eyes.

"I am not innocent…" Renamon replied quietly, "I was rude…so don't worry about this…just rest…"

Ponchomon stood up and growled at the two digimon. "You thought you were so tough; well let me teach you a few things!"

"Ponchomon, leave this place…" growled the white wizard as he touched the ground, "Trust me, you are already lucky to be alive…I think you should get going while the going is good." The cactus gulped and hovered backward and then turned and fled the scene. The wizard looked up and saw a white, winged unicorn. "Unimon!"

"Sorcerymon," the unicorn nodded weakly.

"Kisho!" the children looked at the child who was slumped against DORUmon.

"Don't worry, he's just exhausted…" DORUmon explained. The lavender fox yawned, "As a matter of fact…"

"Here," The black attired human pushed berries under DORUmon's nose, "They're Zenchi Berries; they make you feel better!"

"Oh…" DORUmon sniffed and ate two. The lavender fox then poked Kisho quietly.

"Mom…" Kisho whimpered as he looked up.

"Eat this…" DORUmon hissed as he pushed two berries into Kisho's mouth. The boy chewed and swallowed.

His eyes cleared slightly and he yawned and stretched, "DORUmon let me sleep…Tell Taku to stop yelling at people…he's giving me a headache…"

"HEY!" yelped the boy in black.

"There is no rest for the weary," growled a voice.

Unimon turned his head and growled, "Raidramon…"

A black armored, quadruped dragon walked forward. Sharp spokes shot from the dragon's black, lightning streaked armor. A jagged lightning bolt of a horn jutted from its head. It walked forward in a slow, stalking motion.

"Unimon, the grand prize on the hit list," growled Raidramon loudly. "And Sorcerymon, a new bounty is on your head…but I believe Baronmon has you contracted out to someone else…"

"You dare attack your opponent whilst he is injured?" growled Unimon loudly. "What kind of dishonorable act is that?"

"An efficient one, I plan to bring you all in, with maybe the exception of Sorcerymon," replied the dragon as he stalked forward, "You're all so valuable…"

Sorcerymon ran forward and snatched the last two Zenchi berries from Taku and ran toward Unimon. The unicorn was shocked as a hand thrust berries into its mouth. Unimon shook his head and whinnied quietly. He stretched both wings and flapped them hard releasing the previously injured one of its half made splint.

"So you got your wings back…" Raidramon said in half interest. "Doesn't matter…"

"I'd think it'd matter a lot!" the blonde human called.

"Not really…" Raidramon sighed. "Three…two…one…"

"Star Shower!" Suddenly the village erupted as blazing star projectiles exploded into the ground.

"Rosetta Stone!" shards of rock exploded down ripping huts to pieces and sending everyone under cover.

**888**

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, I just couldn't seem to get a strong start going, which always makes it hard, I had like five plot choices to choose from, so I hope I chose the right one… In case no one knew, which I doubt, Agumon's weird dragonliness was actually an evolution, into Devidramon, no this is not a clue as to who he will evolve into, it's basically a plot thing…which half refers to the battle between Patamon and Elecmon, where he nearly evolves but TK stops him, the question is what would've Patamon digivolved into if TK hadn't stopped him? **

**As to the reason why the digimon couldn't digivolve. Agumon's draining theory is the best to go on, though it is not unlikely that it was simply due to the hopelessness that was infiltrating the group... **

**Blue: I figured as much, I basically used Kohenkyo because…it just sounds so nifty! **


	15. The Broken Noose and the Silent Thunder

**I do not own digimon, or quotes…they belong to the people who made them…**

**The Broke Noose and the Silent Thunder**

**888**

"Ugh…" Taku pushed rubble off of him. "What the heck hit us?"

"Someone blindsided us," growled DemiDevimon as the bat struggled to his feet.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" a pile of hut remains glowed and then exploded as a lithe fox leapt from the rubble. Her arms were filled small orange tyrannosaur. The fox alighted on the ground and surveyed the area.

A girl was lying in the street. A piece of rubble had landed on her leg.

"Ren!" the fox ran to the girl as the fox laid the tyrannosaur on the ground.

"Are you ok?" Taku ran over to the girl and helped the fox lift the rubble off the girl's leg.

"I'm fine…" Ren winced as she tried to stand.

"I think she's just put a little strain on her ankle," the fox reported as the golden furred vixen rubbed the girl's foot. "She'll be fine after a little rest…"

"Where's everyone else?" Taku looked around at piles of rubble.

One of the piles moved and then slid apart. A red dragon and a blond boy stood up and stretched and shook off the remaining debris.

"Kisho!" shouted Taku as he looked around.

"He probably fell asleep," snickered DemiDevimon.

"That's not funny," Taku snapped. "KISHO where the heck are you?"

"I think you have more important problems to deal with than that…" growled a voice. Taku glared up at a black armored dragon standing on a huge pile of rock. "Like me for instance…"

"Raidramon…" growled Renamon and DemiDevimon.

The rock pile shook causing the dragon to lose its footing and slide down the slope of the hill. Raidramon leapt from the rock pile and turned.

"DASH METAL!" The peak of the pile exploded as a grayish lavender streak shot into the sky.

A child slowly climbed out of the pile and laid on the slope. His brown hair and goggles were covered in dust. A small scrapes and bruises lined his arms and legs.

"Kisho!" the children shouted as the boy looked up and gave them a sleepy grin.

A lavender kangaroo-like fox dropped down in front of the boy and growled as it glared at Raidramon. The dragon snorted as it turned to the two on the rock pile.

"Equus Beam!" An emerald stream of energy exploded into the rock pile, flinging Kisho and the lavender digimon forward toward the others.

"DORUmon!" shouted Kisho as the boy grabbed the digimon that he was with. The two rolled through the air and skid across the ground.

"Pegasusmon…" growled DORUmon as he looked up. A golden, winged horse glided past.

Higher up, a unicorn and a sphinx were dog fighting. The sphinx seemed to have the upper hand as it lanced the air with pink energy beams forcing the winged unicorn to duck and dodge through the sky.

"Where's Sorcerymon?" Ren looked around. "You don't think…"

"No…" Renamon stated abruptly, "He's not…"

"No, I'm not dead!" shouted the voice of the wizard. Ren and the others turned. The white wizard walked forward. "Not yet anyways…"

"Allow me to amend that!" growled Raidramon. The black dragon leapt forward, "Thunder Blast!"

Streaks of blue lightning shot through the air, snaking their way toward Sorcerymon. The wizard lifted his crystalline staff; the snowflake at the head of the staff glowed brightly. The lightning flooded over a dome of light that surrounded the wizard.

"A mystical barrier, never leave home without it," chuckled Sorcerymon as the staff faded and the lightning flowed into the ground.

Raidramon growled and leapt at the wizard. Sorcerymon jumped into the air and hovered above the ground looking down at Raidramon.

"Temper, temper," tsked Sorcerymon as he looked down at the lightning dragon.

"Equus Beam!" A stream of emerald energy shot into Sorcerymon's back and pinned the white wizard to the ground

"Sorcerymon!" Ren looked up as a golden horse flapped its golden wings. The wizard stood up and rubbed his back.

"That's it…" Renamon narrowed her eyes.

Ren's digivice chirped loudly and the girl looked at it. "The digivice is…working…"

"Yes, now it's our turn to hand out some butt kicking!" Taku smiled as he looked at his digivice. The white object chirped and sprang to life.

"Guilmon, you think you're up to this?" asked Haru as his digivice hummed to life and let a small beep escape its machinery.

"I'm ready when you are Haru," Guilmon looked at Raidramon and his pupils became slits.

"Kisho…shouldn't we help them?" asked DORUmon quietly as he watched the others hold out their devices, "Kisho?" DORUmon turned, "Kisho get up!"

"Huh…" Kisho yawned as he opened his eyes. "Sorry…I'm still very tired…"

"Don't worry, it's ok, but the others need us," DORUmon replied. DORUmon pointed up at the sky, Unimon was being attacked on two sides by Pegasusmon and Nefertimon.

Raptordramon and Ebidramon rushed Raidramon, forcing the black armored digimon to take large backward bounds. Sorcerymon and ExVeemon took to the air, confronting the golden horse, Pegasusmon.

"DORUmon…" Kisho looked up at the kangaroo-like fox. "You're right!"

"DORUmon digivolve to DORUgamon!" DORUmon grew and his wings spread out and then took flight flying after Nefertimon.

"Crash Charge!" roared Raptordramon as he charged forward, electrical energy shot from the dinosaur cyborg's mouth.

"Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon rushed Raidramon firing burst of aquatic energy.

Raidramon leapt and dodged. The black dragon charged forward and pounced Raptordramon sinking its electrified fangs into the cyborg's wings.

"Get a good bite!" growled Raptordramon as the metal dragon shook itself. Raidramon was tossed from the cyborg. Raptordramon stood straight and the chassis of the dragon opened, "Ambush Crunch!"

Two missiles shot forward and exploded into Raidramon crushing the dragon against a pile of rubble. Ebidramon ran forward one of its claws were glowing, "Lobster…"

"Thunder Blast!" roared Raidramon sending strikes of lightning through the large lobster. Ebidramon flew back and crashed to the ground hard. Streamers of electrical energy flowed over her body.

"Ebidramon!" Ren shouted as the girl moved forward.

"Stay away…Ren…" growled Ebidramon quietly, "The electrical energy may discharge…don't touch me…"

"Don't worry Ebidramon, I got this," Raptordramon stomped forward and charged toward Raidramon. The dragon in black armor growled and retreated away from the larger cyborg dragon.

888

"Rosetta Stone!" called Nefertimon. Unimon hung in the air like an exhausted migrating fowl. His gray wings limply held him aloft. His red, helmeted head was hung down. Shards or the holy tablet that formed from the pink energy that rose from her collar shot forward.

There was a loud roar. Nefertimon growled as the smoke cleared. A large, winged fox dragon was hovering in the air in front of Unimon. Burn marks covered its fur, and pebbles of the tablets fell from its wings.

"Unimon, are you ok?" asked the beast.

"I am fine…but you…" The horse responded.

"I'm unharmed," growled the beast.

"Cat's Eye Beam!" shouted Nefertimon loudly and a stream of rose energy crashed into the winged fox dragon in the chest.

"Power Metal!" the large beast growled in return firing a golden ball bearing back at Nefertimon. The sphinx instantly dove out of the way and rushed forward.

Her claws lifted and the ruby wrist rings on her legs glowed, "Ruby Claw!" Spitfire shards of gemstones fired down on the beast.

"DORUgamon!" growled ExVeemon, as the grey dragon dove between the gray destined digimon and the ruby shards, "V Laser!"

The gemstones crashed into the cross of energy. Gemstones railed against the X but were burned to nothing.

"Equus Beam!" an emerald stream of light sliced in front of ExVeemon. Pegasusmon glided between ExVeemon and Nefertimon. "You will not harm Nefertimon!"

"Aww, I think someone has a crush…" chuckled ExVeemon as he energized the X tattoo on his chest.

"Don't get him angry…" growled Unimon as the winged unicorn glided forward. "He's more powerful than he looks!"

"Yeah…they all are," snorted ExVeemon with annoyance. He crossed his arms across his chest, "V…"

"Star Shower!" comets of golden energy fell from Pegasusmon's wings crashing into ExVeemon. The dragon spun and twisted as the golden projectiles smashed into his gray body.

"I gotcha!" shouted DORUgamon. He dove and caught the gray dragon.

"Thanks, DORUgamon," ExVeemon winced as he opened his wings and glided under his own power.

"Unimon, come with me!" shouted Sorcerymon as he flew forward.

"Cat's Eye Beam!" A pair of pink lasers shot from the serpent crest on Nefertimon's head.

"Aquarius Fill!" blue lightning slashed in front of the pink beams and stalled against the rose arrowheads. The two attacks pushed back and forth against each other. Sorcerymon grunted as he held his staff firmly forward, "I need a tidge of help…."

"Sacred Blast!" Unimon charged forward and thrust his horn forward releasing a holy strike of lightning. The extra boost resulted in an explosion of mutual nullification.

"You think that's good?" chuckled Nefertimon. The sphinx lowered her head. A pink wave of energy shot up from her collar.

"Now!" shouted Sorcerymon as he dove forward. "Crystal Cloud!" A silver mist filled the air.

"Sacred Blast!" A stream of lightning rocketed through the mist, forcing the cloud to glow eerily as swarmed around Nefertimon.

"Nefertimon!" gasped Pegasusmon, but DORUgamon and ExVeemon made a diving tackle and grabbed the horse, trying to drive it to the ground.

"Rosetta Stone!" The mist twisted and blew free of the sphinx like smoke in front of fan. The shards left were eroded into dust and blown to the wind.

"Stalemate again…" Sorcerymon hovered slightly next to the gliding Unimon.

"Mane Hair!" Snarled the winged horse as sharp quills shot from its golden mane.

"NO FAIR!" yelped ExVeemon as kicked away from the horse. "Horses don't have quills!"

DORUgamon grunted as the hairs stuck themselves in his chest. The large, grayish digimon flapped its massive wings and flew back letting the golden horse tumble and regain its composure. DORUgamon and ExVeemon glared down at Pegasusmon as the horse glared up. Suddenly the golden, armored equine charged upward.

"Here he comes!" shouted DORUgamon as the large furred dragon braced himself.

Suddenly Nefertimon dropped down in front of the two destined digimon. The two winged digimon blinked at each in shock and before they knew it, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon were gliding into each other. The two armored digimon touched foreleg gauntlets and turned back.

"Golden Noose!" shouted Pegasusmon and Nefertimon as they turned back around. A golden energy tether was stretched between them.

"Ok, now, that's unfair…" DORUgamon announced as the golden tether tightened between the two armored digimon.

Nefertimon and Pegasusmon put on the speed as they shot up towards DORUgamon and ExVeemon.

"DUCK, YOU NITWITS!" shouted Unimon as the golden tether accelerated towards the two destined digimon.

The two dragons dove towards the ground as the golden tether sliced through the air where their heads had been. The tether disappeared between Nefertimon and Pegasusmon and the two armored digimon glared down at DORUgamon and ExVeemon.

"Oi! Up here!" Sorcerymon shouted. "Aquarius Fill!"

Nefertimon and Pegasusmon swooped around and fired two beams at the wizard.

"Power Metal!" shouted DORUgamon as a golden ball bearing seared through the sky.

"Aerial Attack!" growled Unimon as the winged unicorn fired an azure orb at Pegasusmon.

"V Laser!" A cross of energy shot from ExVeemon's chest towards Nefertimon.

The two aerial, armored digimon twisted and dove through the hail of attacks, and charged towards Sorcerymon. The wizard instantly started to ascend into the sky away from the winged digimon, but they chased after him, dipping and dodging attacks as they went.

"Dang it!" growled ExVeemon as he flapped his wings and took chase, "Stand still and let me hit you!"

"Oh yeah that's going to happen!" shouted DORUgamon as he took off after ExVeemon.

"Aquarius Fill!" Sorcerymon swept his staff angrily forward as the two armored digimon proceeded forward. Flickers of lightning snapped over their faces as the wizard's attacks jumped through the air. Sorcerymon's eyes widened and he smiled, "Gotcha!" Sorcerymon thrust his staff forward so the face of the snowflake at the head of the rod was facing the two digimon. Suddenly Pegasusmon and Nefertimon crashed into an invisible wall. "Inverted Magical Barrier Bubble…gets 'em every time…"

"Now, what are we supposed to do?" asked Unimon as he hovered around bubble.

"No idea…" Sorcerymon replied, "We can't just destroy them that would be unethical…after all they are sitting…ducks…"

DORUgamon and ExVeemon glided forward and looked at the two armored digimon. "Can we just leave them here?"

"The spell is a continuous one…" Sorcerymon replied, "I have to continue to execute it to keep it running, in other words, I can't just let them sit here, and leave for tea…"

"You can't hold us here forever…" growled Nefertimon as she scratched at the barrier, "You'll get tired…and we'll be free…"

"We aren't going to just stand here and let you imprison us!" snorted Pegasusmon. The helmet on the horse's head glowed and fired a beam into the barrier, "We'll bust out!" The green energy flooded around the barrier and sizzled angrily as it swept over the boundaries of the bubble.

"Rosetta Stone!" The bubble filled with dust as the tablet of Nefertimon's attack exploded into the barrier.

Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes and readjusted his grip on his staff. "You're not so tough…"

"We're not tough, the one who is getting their mettle tested is you, Sorcerymon," returned Nefertimon haughtily. The eyes of the serpent on the helm that she wore on her head glowed as twin bursts of pink energy sliced against the barrier.

"Equus Beam!" A green beam shot from Pegasusmon. Where the beams crossed a deep red gash appeared in the bubble. "Ah ha! You may be able to repel us one on one, but what if we combine our attacks?"

"It doesn't matter, even if you escape, you will have no time to react…" growled Sorcerymon loudly, "If you pop the bubble, the others will be on you like termites on rotten Red Oak…"

"Nefertimon, to the back of the barrier!" shouted Pegasusmon as he retreated. "On three, our most devastating attack! One, two…"

Sorcerymon braced himself.

"Three!" Shouted Nefertimon. The pink maser shot from her collar and the tablet exploded, "Rosetta Stone!"

"Star Shower!" shouted Pegasusmon as stars shot from his wings. The two attacks merged and exploded into the barrier.

888

"Thunder Blast!" Raidramon rushed forward thrusting his weight against the electrical surge.

Raptordramon roared as he staggered backward. Ebidramon was still frozen as the electrical energy slowly drained from her lobster body. The large crustacean growled as Raidramon slowly stalked towards the larger, cyborg dragon.

"Crash Charge!" snapped Raptordramon as a bolt of static flashed in front of Raidramon.

The black armored, dragon was deterred. He continued forward slowly putting one clawed foot in front of the next. Raptordramon growled softly, but an agonized shudder revealed that the cybernetic electrical systems that composed his torso, arms and thighs were shorting out. Every once in a while his metallic hands would curl up into a forced fist.

"You're on your last legs," growled Raidramon as he stopped and looked up at the yellow fleshed dragon. "As expected you were hardly an opponent…"

"Raptordramon!" shouted Haru's voice. The dragon slowly tilted his head to see his blonde partner. The boy was standing with the other humans next to a large rock pile. "Don't give up!"

Raptordramon's eye closed sharply as an electrical impulse sliced through is cybernetic nervous system. "I…have…to keep…going for Haru…"

"Ha!" shouted Raidramon as he walked around the debilitated Raptordramon. "You're in no condition to even threaten to threaten me!"

"Haru…is depending on me…" growled Raptordramon through a particularly sharp series of tetanus. "I won't let him down…"

"Then strike me!" growled Raidramon as the dragon looked Raptordramon in the eye.

"Raptordramon, this is pointless…" growled Ebidramon as she winced with her own spasm of muscle tension. "You can't fight him, he's too fast…"

"I have to try!" growled Raptordramon as he lurched forward. "Crash…"

Raptordramon didn't finish his sentence when Raidramon sent another million joules of energy coursing through the cyborg's electronics. Smoke and sparks shot from the chassis of Raptordramon. The dragon howled as streaks of electrical energy coursed up and down the metal portions of his body and cut through the yellow scales of his skin. With a loud roar, Raptordramon dropped to the ground. The smell of burnt meat filled the air as a bright and crackling glow covered the dragon and reduced him to a steaming red and black digimon.

"Guilmon!" shouted Ren loudly. "Haru, we have to get him!"

The girl started to run forward. Haru was quick to follow the brunette female.

"Ren! No!" shouted Ebidramon as Raidramon snarled and turned on the humans. _"I have to do something…"_ A jolt of electricity shot between Ebidramon's claws.A thought cut through her mind. _"I…have to move!" _

"Die!" roared Raidramon as he charged towards the humans.

"Raidramon! Have a taste of your own medicine!" roared Ebidramon as she lifted her electrically sparking claw. "Lobster Step!"

Raidramon was running too fast to evade the strike. The claw slammed into Raidramon tossing him into the air. The dragon was swamped with electrical energy that shot back and forth over his already electrically sensitive armor. The electricity was ravenous in its search for a ground. Raidramon crashed to the ground. The black armored digimon growled and lifted its head.

'Lucky shot…shrimp…" growled Raidramon as he slowly and jerkily stood.

"Lucky nothing," growled Ebidramon as she lifted her claws, "and I'm a lobster, not shrimp! Twin Neptune!"

Spitfire bursts of aquatic force crashed into the rising dragon. Raidramon roared as he dropped onto a pile of sharp rocks. He rolled to the ground and looked up. Ebidramon was rushing towards him. He stood, but a cramp in his back leg dropped him on his stomach. The lobster's claws rose into the air. Raidramon growled as the massive claw crashed down on his head.

Ebidramon looked silently back at Ren. The girl was not looking at the fight anymore, opting to gently pat Guilmon's head. Ebidramon tensed up as her muscles reminded her of the unprescribed shock treatment she had received. Her crustacean form glowed returning to a softer, fox form.

"Renamon…" Ren looked up as the fox walked forward. "You…did the right thing…"

Renamon inclined her head quietly. "We aren't out of the woods yet…"

The vixen looked up in the sky. Small specks were all that could be made out of the aerial combatants. They were relatively stationary, whether that was good, bad, or indifferent no one could say. Renamon narrowed her eyes and made one small wish and then knelt down next to Guilmon, who moaned slightly as Ren rubbed the red and black dragon's arms and legs.

888

Sorcerymon was rocketing in the sky as Nefertimon and Pegasusmon dove out of their captivity. Unimon was the first to react with an Aerial Attack. The two armored digimon split up and curled around. Returning fire with their laser attacks. Unimon, ExVeemon and DORUgamon scrambled in the air as the streams of energy sliced past their heads.

"Dang it, they were right, we didn't do squat!" snarled ExVeemon as a green energy streak sliced past his right eye.

"Think of it as a living plan!" shouted DORUgamon as he dove low under a pink blaze.

"In other words…" shouted ExVeemon as he twisted around in the air.

"WING IT!" shouted Unimon as the unicorn turned on a dime and fired a bolt of azure energy at the two armored digimon.

Nefertimon snorted a burst of the holy energy cracked into her face mask.

"V Laser!" ExVeemon took his chance and launched a cross of energy from his tattooed chest.

The X of energy raced toward Nefertimon, who was preoccupied with Unimon's holy strikes. Pegasusmon instantly started a downward drive towards ExVeemon's attack, in an attempt to block it. DORUgamon rocketed up from below catching the equine in the gut with a bear hug and took him higher into the sky instead of lower into the X shaped attack.

Nefertimon, who had been drawn to the flurry of movement, looked at the oncoming X. The sphinx tried to rise out of the path of the attack, but Unimon fired an orb into her flank, causing her to lose balance. The X smashed into Nefertimon's chest. Pegasusmon screamed loudly as the face mask cracked. Hundreds of white feathers filled the air, and then as they fell they dissolved into dust.

DORUgamon heaved loudly and punched Pegasusmon upwards before releasing him from his upward flying bear hug. The fox dragon then flew above Pegasusmon, twisted and slammed his heavy, lizard-like tail down on the back of the winged horse. The horse tumbled silently through the air. The horse didn't move its wings, or move any of its appendages at all; it just fell, head over tail, left over right in a slow gyroscopic spin. DORUgamon looked at the creature worriedly. Its back was either broken or Pegasusmon was suffering from shock. Either way, the fox-like dragon didn't like where this was leading.

"Catch him!" shouted DORUgamon loudly as he shot into a steep nosedive.

"Are you nuts?" shouted ExVeemon as he watched DORUgamon rocketing towards the earth below. The gray dragon warrior growled and dove after DORUgamon as he shot by.

The two dragon digimon shook as they felt the air pressure build against their noses. DORUgamon's snout was getting very warm as the air molecules were forced to scrape across his gray furred skin. Pegasusmon was plummeting only a meter in front of them, but he was still an eternity away for DORUgamon as the dragon tried to force gravity to pull harder on him.

DORUgamon suddenly felt something yank him backward. The furred digimon spun around to find it was ExVeemon.

"LET ME GO!" shouted DORUgamon loudly as ExVeemon pulled him upward.

"Idiot!" shouted ExVeemon as he slowed their decent to a stop. "You were going to drill yourself into the ground!"

DORUgamon turned. Five, maybe four and half, meters of air were all that separated DORUgamon from the earth. DORUgamon's eyes narrowed angrily. The dust was now settling. There was a giant crater in the ground. Puffs of black dust melted into the air.

"He…" DORUgamon glared down at the ground. "He…"

"And you were about to, but thank goodness one of us had brains…" growled ExVeemon as he released larger DORUgamon.

"Why does this hurt…?" growled DORUgamon as he hovered in the air. "We've deleted many digimon…why does this one hurt unlike the others!"

"Because, the coward robbed you of an honorable victory…" growled Unimon as the winged unicorn flapped its wings slowing its descent.

"Sorcerymon…" DORUgamon looked around.

"I am uninjured," called the wizard as he hovered towards the crater. The wizard sighed and took his hat off and shook his head. "So the struck eagle, stretch'd upon the plain, No more through rolling clouds to soar again, view'd his own feather on the fatal art, and wing'd the shaft that quiver'd in his heart."

"Why did he do it?" DORUgamon snarled in frustration as he glared at the dented earth.

"Loyalty is still the same," whispered Sorcerymon quietly, "Whether it win or lose the game," Sorcerymon shook his head again. "True as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon."

"I don't understand," ExVeemon growled.

"Pegasusmon was loyal to Nefertimon, true to death," Unimon said quietly, "He obviously loved her very much…tis not many digimon that have the ability to do a combined attack like Golden Noose…"

"DORUgamon!" shouted the voice of children. "ExVeemon!"

The digimon looked down to seem the small figures running towards them. The black haired boy and the goggle enhanced child were first. A small girl and a fox digimon, and a blonde haired boy with a small tyrannosaur and a red and black dragon were running behind them.

"Guilmon!" gasped DORUgamon as he glided down and reverted to DORUmon, "are you ok?"

ExVeemon also reverted to DemiDevimon and glided down next to the red and black dragon.

"He'll be fine," Renamon nodded quietly, "he looks a lot worse than he is, Raidramon was quite the handful…"

"Neither of you are harmed severely, I hope," said Sorcerymon as he touched down. He looked at Renamon and then at Guilmon, "No…your pain is not severe…I can sense it…"

"Sorcerymon, what will we do now?" asked Haru quietly, "Raidramon said someone is hunting you, and Ponchomon will more than likely tell Baronmon we're coming!"

"The Bakemons' village is…laid to waste," whispered Ren quietly as she looked around.

"Yes, but we do have more important matters to pursue, my dear. The Bakemon can rebuild," Sorcerymon said in assurance. He looked up at the mountain, "I suggest we go up there, he may know we're coming but he does not know your strength! He only knows reports of it…but we must free Jiro…"

"Unimon!" Kisho looked up at the winged unicorn, "Are you going to come with us?"

"I'm afraid I have overstayed my welcome," shouted the horse, "I must go back to what remains of my troops, we must make ready for your advance on Infinity Mountain. We may meet again there!"

"I suggest we break into two teams," said Sorcerymon quietly.

"You're coming with us?" Kisho looked at Sorcerymon in shock. "I thought…"

"That was before, Jiro was captured," replied Sorcerymon hastily. "Now, there are two pathes that lead up to Infinity Mountain, "One is an old supply route, the other is a road that leads directly to the templar palace…we'll need, Ren, Kisho, Taku and your digimon to take that road…leading a frontal assault…"

"What?" Taku glared at Sorcerymon, "He'll see us coming from miles away; we'll be walking straight into his mouth!"

"Exactly!" Sorcerymon cheered in triumph, "and whilst you are keeping his eyes busy we'll sneak around back, there is a secret passage that leads into the bowels of the castle where the dungeons are…I know where it is, Haru, Guilmon, Agumon and I will go there, we'll free Jiro, and whoever else we can, and then rush Baronmon from behind, smashing him between the two of us!"

"And what if he just sweeps us off the mountain?" Taku glowered as he looked at Sorcerymon.

"Then I guess, you retreat," replied Sorcerymon, "we'll slink back out the back way, or make a wondrous strike through the palace's heart and run out the front doors like mad…"

"I don't like this plan," whispered Ren quietly. "It's insane, and well, scary…"

"It will be fine, Ren, if anything bad happens, we'll run," Renamon replied quietly.

"Don't worry, Baronmon won't know what hit him!" said DORUmon loudly.

"Yes he will, and he'll know it before it even hits him!" Taku shouted. "Kisho, can't you see?"

"I know, we're bait," Kisho said quietly. The brunette with the green goggles looked up, "but we don't have to act like bait, we'll give them a fight they won't soon forget!"

"I'm not worrying about them forgetting!" Taku returned snidely, "I'm worried about me surviving!"

"Maybe I should go with the others…" Haru said quietly to Sorcerymon, "I mean…"

"No, you must go with me; I will need help, and your brother will not be as calm if it is one of the others," replied Sorcerymon quietly, "and I do not want the others to face what we may have to face…"

"What do you mean?" Haru gave Sorcerymon a quizzical look. His eyebrow arched and his lips firmed slightly.

"The danger comes not from the claws alone," replied Sorcerymon, "but the innards, as well, fester much malignance toward our goal." The wizard looked up at the children and smiled kindly, "Now, go and eat, and rest, for in the evening we ride to our fate amongst the great warriors of old!"

"Overdramatic…isn't he…?" whispered Kisho quietly.

"Uh huh…" gulped Ren.

"Come on…let's get something to eat," Taku grumbled as he walked away. "Come on DemiDevimon!"

"Coming!" called the bat as it glided after Taku.

The others looked up at Taku and followed him. Each of them, though, took a stern look to the east and up into the sky, where the towering Infinity Mountain scraped the heavens with its craggy peaks. Black clouds were swirling tightly around the points, and if one strained their ears hard enough the sound of thunder barely wafted through the air.

**888**

**Well, this was a tooth puller of a chapter for me, I haven't been feeling, good lately, I won't go into details. Next Chapter is totally fogged as to where I want to go, dang stupid other fanfic ideas butting in, so don't suggest anything, because just don't! When I say a chapter is fogged, it means I have no idea where I'll go, because I don't plan chapter by chapter, I plan arc by arc. In case you guys haven't read anything from me before. Rarely do my original intentions end up being what happens at the end of a fic, I don't really, have the patience or the mindset to sit down and outline a chapter, I just write and let it go where it takes me, sometimes that is good…(and I can do two or three chapters in a day) and sometimes it's very very…not good, and I ramble and chapters end…in a very…unended sort of way. I do have things marked off as to what I want to happen, like, the battle against Baronmon, the next bad guy and his stuff, and then next guy and so on…I have ideas of chapters, but the chapters themselves are…whatever they turn into. **

**Blue: Well, the fight kind of ended…differently. The winning that happened isn't the kind of winning that happened…usually. So, it's a bit of a sour apple sort of effect! **


	16. Darkness Within

**I don't own digimon**

**Darkness Within**

**888**

Kabukimon reached quietly for the doorknob. It was mid afternoon. Lord Baronmon had asked to be left alone at noon. He had sent Sepikmon to monitor the human child in the dungeon and had asked Kabukimon to check the defenses of the templar palace. The priestess was now returning to give her report.

The door silently slid on its hinge. Kabukimon stopped upon hearing a soft, wheezing voice speaking in the darkened throne room. She peered in, expecting to see Lord Baronmon speaking to one of his minions. She was surprised to find the cloaked digimon standing, back turned to the door, and looking up at the digimental shrine behind the throne.

Kabukimon narrowed her eyes slightly. The darkness that pervaded the room was unnatural; the candles in the room were lit yet the luminescence that they produced was stunted and only barely strong enough to force their glow around the frame of Lord Baronmon.

"So…they think to come here…" hissed a voice that permeated from Baronmon quietly. Kabukimon looked up at her lord. He was looking at the digimentals, all of which were mutely glowing in a rainbow of muddied colors. "They're little struggles amuse me…but they shall never defeat me…Even if they are to destroy this husk, I shall find a new host, and with the Dark Digimental firmly in my grasp, not even that vile Destiny Barrier will hold me back…"

Kabukimon gulped quietly and Baronmon turned.

"Did I call you here?" growled the voice. The candlelight flared to light illuminating the room. Baronmon's eyes were red, and blazed like rubies. A gem stone that was pushed into Baronmon's forehead radiated a black light. Instantly the candlelight returned to its previous impotence.

"Lord Baronmon," Kabukimon looked up at her master in fear. "What is wrong, Lord Baronmon?"

A wicked smile played over the baron's face. Flickers of candlelight bounced off the white fangs and tusks that protruded from his mouth. Baronmon's form walked slowly toward Kabukimon. The priestess took a hesitant step back, toward the doorway. Her petalled hands lifted defensively and she took another step backward and retreated into the hallway.

"Please, Lord Baronmon…" the priestess gulped in fear as the figure moved into the light of the hall.

"You should not intrude upon me when I ask for privacy…" hissed Baronmon quietly, "Such disobedience will require punishment…"

Kabukimon dropped to her knees, "No, please! I apologize profusely, my lord, do not harm me! I was only trying to give you my report on the palace's defenses!" Kabukimon lifted her flower like head. "Please, I beg of you, please don't punish me; I wish not to incur your wrath, my lord."

"Get up!" hissed Baronmon loudly. A twisting cord of bloody hair grabbed Kabukimon by the red lapels of her vest, and dragged her to her feet. "Do not speak of this to anyone…or I shall have to be rid of you. Now, go, prepare the palace, the digi-destined are coming! Bring us to full alert."

"Yes, my lord," gulped Kabukimon as the red tendrils pushed from her and disappeared into the sleeves of Baronmon's green robes.

Kabukimon staggered as she retreated backward from her master. Baronmon growled softly and turned. He pulled his crimson cloak around his body and disappeared back into the throne room, slamming the door loudly behind him. A cold rush shot through Kabukimon's blood as she remembered her lord's face and eyes. The memory of her lord's voice was like a stream of ice that zigzagged from her tailbone to the base of her head.

888

Jiro moved his hands slightly trying to get blood to his fingers. The ape had tied his wrists to the chair he was now sitting in, but he'd tied them too tightly and his hands were tingling due to the lack of circulation. The monkey was on the opposite side of a large wooden table that was in front of Jiro.

"So, human, you think that Lord Baronmon is lying," growled the masked ape. The bright eyes glaring through the eye holes of the blue and red, oval mask that covered the monkey's face were focused on Jiro.

"He is…My brother and his friends are coming!" Jiro replied angrily. "You can't make me believe different! They are coming, so you better let me go! Or else!"

The ape leapt up on the table and swiped a large boomerang under Jiro's chin, "Or else what?"

Jiro gulped slightly and looked at the ape, "Or else they'll have to destroy you to get to me…"

"It's hard to destroy a thing when you're dead…" chuckled the monkey as he pulled back and leapt off the table.

"They aren't dead…" Jiro replied, "Why would you react so harshly at the idea of them coming for me, if they were dead…?"

The monkey glared at the boy and snorted, "I did it to get your hopes up, and then dash them against the harsh rocks of the truth!"

"You're not fooling me," Jiro replied, "They're coming, and they'll get me free! And then you'll be in real trouble!"

"Humans are so blind…" growled the monkey.

The door to the dimly lit room swung open. A digimon in baggy, red pants and vest, with a yellow robe-like top walked in. Its head was composed of a lion faced flower, as were its hands.

"Sepikmon, Lord Baronmon has…put us on full alert," said the flowered digimon quietly.

The ape growled softly. "I will finish this then, Kabukimon, and meet you in the courtyard…"

The flowered digimon nodded and left the room.

The ape turned and walked to Jiro. Jiro felt the bindings around his hands pull from his wrists. The boy instinctually grabbed his wrists and rubbed them as the warm flood of blood rushed into his hands. The monkey grabbed Jiro's hand.

"So what are you going to do now?" Jiro looked up at the monkey's masked face.

"You're going back to your cell!" growled the monkey as he yanked Jiro's hand.

The ape dragged him through a large, round portcullis in the back of the room, opposite the door the flower digimon had used. The opening to the portcullis rolled open and the monkey pushed Jiro through the portal. Jiro looked back as the monkey stepped through the portal. The barrier scraped closed as it rolled back into place. The dull candlelight barely revealed the craggy and ragged brick work that cut between the cells of the dungeon. Jiro tripped over the brickwork as his monkey escort pushed him down the corridor.

They walked between the cells that held Jiro's newest acquaintances. The first cell they passed was that of Frigimon. The ice digimon was staring through the energy bars.

"Don't be so rough, Sepikmon!" growled the ice digimon.

"What are you going to do, you fat snow oaf?" growled the ape as he glared back through the bars.

"Maybe this!" Centaurumon, the orange skinned centaur lifted his arm, his hand spun into a large cannon. The four legged digimon walked up to the bars of his cell.

"Heh, try it…" snorted Sepikmon loudly.

"Solar Ray!" the cannon whined to life and a burst of energy flew forward. The burst instantly was dragged into the bars of the cell.

"Heh, those cells were constructed to hold an Ultimate digimon, you won't be getting out anytime soon," the monkey pushed Jiro forward. "Get in your cell, human."

"He has a name!" shouted a small red rodent. "You can at least give him that dignity!"

"Shut it, rat," growled Sepikmon. The monkey walked up to the red rodent, who shared a cell with Centaurumon, "I'd sure hate it if Lord Baronmon would get the idea of causing a mass digi-egg massacre…"

"You wouldn't dare!" snarled the rodent loudly. The crackling of electricity snapped around the rodent.

"Heh, it wouldn't be my fault that they'd be destroyed," replied Sepikmon quietly, "After all, I'm not the caretaker of Primary Village…"

"Sepikmon, one day you'll eat your words," growled Centaurumon loudly.

"And on that day, Vikaralamon will fly," returned Sepikmon loudly as he turned from the cells. He stopped in front of the cell next to Jiro's. "You're quiet today, snot ball…"

"I don't rise to the bait of hairy scum balls," growled the voice of Jiro's neighbor. "Actually, now that I think about it; you being a hairy scum ball is an insult to hairy scum balls. I mean I've got chunks of armpit hair prettier than you."

"You see, Ogremon," Sepikmon chuckled quietly, "Statements like that only jumpstart my memory, like…I just remembered it's nearly time for your scheduled beating into a bloodied pulp."

"Heh, go ahead," growled the voice of Ogremon loudly, "It always takes three or four of you Armored sissies to break my skin. You're little beatings are nothing to me…"

"We'll see," growled Sepikmon as he continued down the corridor.

"Yeah, you'll see, my fist crashing through that ugly mask of yours!" shouted Ogremon's voice loudly as the sound of him running forward clapped on the floor.

"Ogremon, settle down," hummed Centaurumon.

"Oh shut it," growled Ogremon's voice as the sound of the floor scuffling echoed into Jiro's ears. "The little beast doesn't deserve my ire…"

"Then why do you show it to him?" asked a metal digimon down the corridor. Jiro looked up and saw that Andromon was now standing at the bars of his cell, looking like a steel monolith.

"Because there is nothing else to do in this crap hole," Ogremon responded. It sounded like he had plopped down on the ground. He huffed loudly and grumbled to himself. "Arguing with you idiots loses it's novelty after awhile."

"Well, excuse us, for not being entertaining enough for you!" shouted Frigimon loudly.

"Frigimon, do not lower yourself to his level," said Centaurumon as he retreated into his cell.

"Next time the island gets taken over, I'm definitely going to be on the winning side!" snarled Ogremon's voice.

"Don't give up hope…" whispered Jiro quietly, "We can't give up…we'll win; I can feel it!"

"Look, kid, stop dreaming, you're friends are probably extra crispy by now. Even if they are still alive; Baronmon isn't just going to give them the keys to our cells and let us go. So stop your claptrap about getting free and having hope, because it's a big lie Centaurumon and the rest of these cream puffs told you to keep you from blubbering like Elecmon!" Ogremon growled softly scuffling was heard from his cell.

"You're wrong!" Jiro shouted, "They're coming, you're just a quitter. You act tough but you're already beaten. You've let them win! So stop telling me to give up because I'm not going to!"

"You just keep those hopes high, I'll be waiting to laugh at you when they are dashed," replied Ogremon's voice. "The winners in this world aren't the dreamers…the winners of this world are the ones that know when to switch sides."

Jiro narrowed his eyes and turned back and walked to the pile of straw on the floor and sat down. "Haru's coming…so is Agumon and Guilmon…I know it."

888

"How much further is it?" asked Haru as he looked over the edge of the trail down the side of the mountain.

"I wouldn't look down if I were you," replied Sorcerymon as the white wizard held onto the mountainside and took a deep breath, "Vertigo is a horrible feeling to have…"

"We have to be…what, a kilometer up?" Haru looked over to Sorcerymon.

"That sounds about right," Sorcerymon took a small cigarette holder from his vest and clicked it open. "Here…take one of these…"

Haru looked up at the wizard in surprise, "I-I don't smoke…"

"It's not a cigarette," Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes, "Always found it a filthy habit," Sorcerymon turned the cigarette holder around revealing that it was filled with red tablets. "Elevation stabilizers…keep you from getting altitude sickness," Sorcerymon took a deep breath. "They will make your body work up here like it would down on the surface…I gave some to the others before they left. Put it in their soup…"

"Why didn't you just give it to us in the same way…?" Haru looked at the wizard suspiciously. Guilmon and Agumon walked up next to Haru.

"Because you're too smart, you'd ask questions about why you weren't getting altitude sickness," replied Sorcerymon, "and if I told you that I tricked you into taking the medication it would've made things difficult. I don't want you to lose faith in me or feel betrayed or tricked by me…it's very important we trust each other…"

Haru reached forward and took a tablet from the small, metal container. He took two more and handed them to Agumon and Guilmon. Guilmon dropped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it quickly. Agumon took the pill and took several long breaths and then threw the pill down his throat and choked it down. Haru laid the pill on his tongue and then swallowed hard. The pill stuck a little but the boy swallowed again, pushing it down his esophagus.

Sorcerymon nodded and took a pill for himself. He pulled back the mouth guard and pushed the pill between the stitches in his mouth. The wizard swished the pill around in his mouth and then swallowed hard. The wizard then slumped against the side of the mountain.

"What now?" Haru sat down next to Sorcerymon.

"We should sit here for a few minutes," whispered Sorcerymon. He took a handkerchief from his vest and took off his hat. He dappled the handkerchief across his forehead. "I think I'm a little out of practice when it comes to mountain climbing…"

"We've been walking on a trail…hardly call it mountain climbing," Haru replied as he looked out over the view. The ocean could be seen in the distance. Haru pointed to the south, "What's out there?"

"The Digital World," replied Sorcerymon quietly, "Actually in that direction is the Continent of Folder, it's a pretty flat place; a large part of it is savannah. Though there is a forest…but not many talk about it…"

"What, is it evil?" chuckled Haru quietly.

"Actually, it is…" Sorcerymon looked at Haru, "It is supposed to have a certain quality to it that causes the mind to see its most feared nightmares; only the bravest warriors can transverse it without going crazy…or so they say…"

"Well, how about that way," Haru pointed westward, "what's that way…"

"The Continents of Server and Directory, they are conjoined continents…" whispered Sorcerymon quietly.

"Kind of like Asia and Europe then…" Haru replied as he looked out into the distance.

"Server is home to a great desert, beyond that there is a mountain range that separates the two continents, the mountains is where most of the civilization is on Server, though there is some around the coast," Sorcerymon replied quietly. "There is a portion of the Continent of Directory that has large quartz and diamond deposits. It's called Crystal Land. I've not been there in a very long time, I don't travel like I used to when I was…with….my previous employer…"

"Previous employer?" Haru looked down at the wizard. "Who did you work for?"

"That is not important, the past, as they say, is the past," Sorcerymon got up and stretched and put his hat back on, "Well, I think that's a long enough wait, let us go. I have a very unpleasant feeling that we're being watched."

Sorcerymon started to walk swiftly up the ledge. Haru got to his feet and ran after Sorcerymon, "Hey, what happened to having to trust each other! You're keeping something from me!"

"It's nothing of consequence," Sorcerymon replied as he walked around the curve of the ledge. Haru ran after him and stopped suddenly. Sorcerymon was frozen in mid-step. In front of Sorcerymon was an old, gnarled tree. Around its trunk were three white crosses. Kanji was written down the vertical section of the cross. Sorcerymon walked slowly up to the crosses and took his hat off. He knelt down in front of the crosses.

"Ok…this is weird…" whispered Haru as he walked up next to the sorcerer. Agumon and Guilmon walked up behind Haru.

"Bearmon…" Guilmon read quietly.

"Dinohumon…." whispered Agumon as he looked at the cross.

"Tapirmon," Haru looked at the last cross. "I don't understand…"

"These three…" Sorcerymon stood up quietly, "They died…because of me…I lead them into battle, we were ambushed here, by the enemy. I foolishly told them to hold their ground. Bearmon tackled one of them over the edge of the cliff. Tapirmon was disemboweled with a harpoon and Dinohumon…"

"What?" Haru put his hand on Sorcerymon's shoulder.

"The enemies' leader, Marine Devimon, melted him with an acidic attack," Sorcerymon closed his eyes. "I can still hear his screams in my sleep…it's like someone is cutting my ears with a flaming sword…His flesh burned while the acid did its work, he screamed in agony before the caustic liquid finally destroyed his body…the rest of us barely escaped…Our allies found us some days later, unconscious in a cave."

"That's…" Haru couldn't even find a word to explain it. Horrible and torturous didn't seem to be bad enough to even encapsulate the feeling Haru was having. He couldn't even imagine how Sorcerymon felt. "I really…can't even…"

"Do not fret, I do not seek sympathy," Sorcerymon turned slowly and started to walk away, "We draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it."

"But…shouldn't we leave a prayer or something?" Haru looked up at Sorcerymon.

"Prayers fall on deaf ears, the dead do not walk again, and no god will bring them back," Sorcerymon looked at Haru, "Leave one if you wish, but the dead…are the dead. Just like the past, they should be learned from and remember, not lauded over."

Haru looked back at the crosses and lowered his head slightly and placed his hands together. He murmured something under his breath and the turned back to Sorcerymon and ran after the wizard as it turned a corner.

"Sorcerymon, wait!" Haru shouted as he ran.

Sorcerymon stopped and looked back at Haru, "This is where we stop our ascent up the mountain."

"Huh?" Haru looked at the wizard digimon. He looked back at Guilmon and Agumon, "I thought we were going to save my brother!"

"We will," Sorcerymon turned and touched the mountainside. "We will be using the backdoor…"

The rock around the place Sorcerymon touched shook as door frame formed in the rock. Sorcerymon reached forward and clasped a triangular stone on the door and turned it slowly and pushed. The rock door slid into the mountain and slid to one side.

"We should go now…" Sorcerymon whispered. He looked up at Haru. "You, Guilmon and Agumon go first."

"But we don't know where we're going," Guilmon said quietly.

"As long as you're focused on saving Jiro, you cannot get lost," Sorcerymon replied as he looked into the darkness. "This is the defense of the backdoor. It will mess with your mind if you are not cautious; it will show you your greatest fears, and greatest desires, anything to get you to stop proceeding. You must trust all that are with you, any form of fear or mistrust will be played out. You must clear your mind of everything except your purpose in going to the temple."

"What if it shows me that Jiro is coming towards me?" Haru asked quietly as he looked into the darkness. "How will I know it's fake or real?"

"I'm the only one left that knows of this place, and it cannot be stumbled upon," replied Sorcerymon, "any image of anyone but you, Guilmon, Agumon or I will be false…unless of course someone happens to sneak in after us…"

"Wait…" Haru glared at Sorcerymon, "how do we know if someone who has followed us is real or not?"

"Child, the more you question the more fodder you'll give the cave," Sorcerymon replied quietly. "Clear your mind of worries, and questions, just think about freeing your brother, take that thought of him in your arms and hold it, think of nothing else, not of Guilmon, not of Agumon, not of Baronmon or the other digi-destined, just you and Jiro…"

"What about us?" Guilmon and Agumon looked up.

"Think the same, only of you and Jiro, do not complicate it…" Sorcerymon looked up. "He's here…"

"Huh?" Haru looked up. There was a flurry of movement. Then a spinning purple blade was rushing through the air towards them.

Haru leapt into the cave with Agumon and Guilmon. Sorcerymon leapt from the ledge and hovered in the air as the large shuriken sliced past.

"Sorcerymon!" shouted Haru loudly.

"Go…do not think about me, do not fear, just think of Jiro and you, nothing more!" shouted Sorcerymon, "I will follow, but do not fear for me, do not even think about me, hold that image of you and Jiro!"

Haru gulped as Sorcerymon lurched backward as a second giant throwing star flashed past the cave entrance.

"Sorcerymon!" shouted Haru.

"GO!" shouted the wizard as he swept his crystalline staff around and fired a bolt of azure lightning at his attacker. "Go, think of Jiro and you and run!"

Haru hesitated but then shook his head, "Guilmon, Agumon, close your eyes and run into the cave."

"Haru?" Guilmon looked up at the boy.

"Go! Don't worry about Sorcerymon, just go!" shouted Haru as he closed his eyes, "Jiro and me, Jiro and me…"

Haru took a deep breath, turned and ran into the cave. It was far beyond any dark Haru had ever known. No light penetrated the shadows of the cave. Not a single stream of light from the opening dared enter after them. The silence was complete in the cave. It was as if someone had put a blindfold over his eyes and sound proof glass domes over his ears, only infinitely more complete and unnerving.

"Haru…" whispered Guilmon's voice, "Are you still there?"

"Jiro and me…Jiro and me…" whispered Haru as he walked in the void.

"Guilmon…where are you?" called Agumon's voice in the darkness. "I'm lost, Haru, Guilmon! Please help me!"

"Jiro and me, Jiro and me…" Haru bit his lip.

"Haru…It's ok, you don't have to come for me; I'm safe…the others found me…" Jiro's voice sifted through the darkness

Haru looked up. The darkness parted. Jiro was standing next to the other digi-destined. He was behind hugged from behind by Taku. His blonde haired, brown eyed little brother was being hugged by that black hearted, darkly clothed renegade. Haru closed his eyes.

"Jiro and me, Jiro and me…." Haru closed his eyes and walked forward. "Jiro and I, Jiro and I…."

"Fool…" growled a deep voice. It seemed to come from all directions. "You are nothing, a pathetic insect like you trying to scale my mountain! I shall squash you under foot…and then I shall squash your brother…"

"Jiro and me…Jiro and me…" Haru opened his eyes slightly. There was a soft candlelight up ahead. He saw the shaking forms of Agumon and Guilmon looking around in terror.

"Die!" shouted the voice as the cave filled with flames. Guilmon and Agumon instantly leapt at Haru. The boy winced as he pushed to the ground. The flames engulfed them.

"Jiro and me! JIRO AND ME!" shouted Haru loudly. The flames wavered and distorted into nothing.

"It wasn't real…" Guilmon's voice whispered.

"Don't worry about that…" Haru said quietly as he tried to focus, "Jiro and me, Jiro and me…" Haru took Guilmon and Agumon's hands. "Jiro and me…Jiro and me…"

Haru started to walk again, towards the candlelight. The voices of the cave shouted louder and anguished screams and horrid visages filled the darkness. Smells of death and decay tore into Haru's nostrils. Banquets of luxurious food were placed in front of him; portals home, loved ones and family, riches, all of this was employed as temptation and torture. The darkness swirled in annoyance as the blonde's voice only repeated one single phrase as he walked forward.

"Jiro and me…Jiro and me…"

888

"Shurimon…" Sorcerymon hovered above the ledge. He looked down at the beige robed, plant shinobi.

"I have been contracted to destroy you, Sorcerymon," replied the husky voice of the shinobi.

"So you're being paid? I hope you don't think I'll make this easy on you then, because…you should work for your payment," Sorcerymon touched down on the ledge. "Actually I was hoping to talk you out of it…"

"I did not come here to talk, wizard…" The large, buzz saw like hands of the shinobi lifted, "I came here to take your life…"

"Such simple mindedness…I envy your accomplishments in the act of simplifying your life," replied Sorcerymon quietly, "I mean, I'm worried about children, and hating and loving…but you're just here to kill me…I really envy…"

"Double Star!" the star hands of Shurimon sliced forward through the air. Sorcerymon leapt into the air and pressed himself into the nook on the side of the mountain. "Stop this struggling, wizard, you can't escape…I will hunt you to the ends of this world…"

"Then maybe I should move to a new world…" called out Sorcerymon from his nook. "This one is a little crowded anyways!"

There was a blur of movement matched with a blast of wind that swept up the mountain face. Shurimon was hanging in the air. One arm was lifted and the star blade at the end of his springy vine arm was spinning like the rotor of a helicopter. The other arm was holding the giant shuriken on his back.

"Allow me to lessen the population by one," whispered Shurimon as he flung the star forward.

"Should've seen that one coming!" Yelped Sorcerymon as he dove from the nook.

The star cut through the rock. It whirred past Sorcerymon cutting through his cloak. The weapon returned to Shurimon, who grabbed the star and glared at Sorcerymon.

"Why do you continue to struggle? Your life…it is a pathetic list of impotence…" hissed the shinobi as it hovered to the ledge and landed. Sorcerymon glared down at the cloaked figure and lifted his hand. The golden eyes of the shinobi narrowed in amusement, "Finally I have caught the ire of the great Sorcerymon…"

"You know nothing of my life," Sorcerymon replied with a gruff snort. "I am older than most digimon on this island…not many know my full story…"

"I don't need to know the full story," replied Shurimon as he took a loping step forward, "I can see it in your eyes…your fear, and self loathing, your hatred and anger…the darkness of your heart I can read like a book…"

"Read this!" Sorcerymon slashed his staff forward. A blast of azure lightning exploded down upon the ledge that Shurimon was standing on.

"See…" hissed a voice from behind Sorcerymon. The wizard spun around. A spinning shuriken sliced through his shoulder. Sorcerymon grabbed his shoulder as he fell and crashed onto the ledge. Sorcerymon pulled his hand from his shoulder. Crimson flecks of data dripped from his hand and flooded his shoulder. Shurimon dropped down in front of the fallen sorcerer. "You are less perceptive than you cause others to believe."

"That's quite the trick…to be able to make yourself manifest in two places at once…" whispered Sorcerymon quietly. He winced again as his shoulder tensed. "Especially while having the fake give off an aura…I was totally taken in…"

Shurimon lifted one of his large shurikens. His coiled arm started to spin slightly, bringing the lavender throwing star into a high speed whirl. A high pitched whirr hummed from the spinning blade.

"So you realize you are outclassed…" Shurimon stepped forward, "Then you won't struggle anymore?"

"Not a chance…" Sorcerymon replied as he stood up. "You may have a few tricks up your sleeve, but I'm the master when it comes to tricks up my sleeve…"

"Then allow me to cut your sleeves off!" growled Shurimon as the shinobi launched the large shuriken forward; his beige robes ruffled as the spinning blade passed.

The shuriken whizzed forward, humming as it spun. The blade then slowed to a stop. Shurimon narrowed his eyes and watched as the spinning star hung in midair. Beyond the throwing star Sorcerymon was holding his staff forward. He swept the staff to one side tossing the shuriken down the mountainside.

"How unfortunate…you missed…" Sorcerymon said with a little smile.

"My hands and feet…are shurikens as well," replied Shurimon smoothly.

"Ah…yes…and sharp ones, too…" Sorcerymon said as he jumped backward, Shurimon's right handed shuriken not far behind the wizard.

Shurimon smashed the blades of the shuriken into the ground, cracking the earth. Shurimon then leapt forward again, sweeping the left handed shuriken forward, with his extending arm, the blade sliced past Sorcerymon's face and continued on its arc through the mountain wall. The throwing star got stuck in a thick piece of rock. Shurimon tried to dislodge the right handed shuriken from the ground, but found it tightly wedged into the rock.

"Well, aren't you going to attack?" growled Shurimon as he pulled at his firmly stuck shuriken hands.

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake," replied Sorcerymon as he walked past Shurimon. "Though…I wouldn't wish you to hurt yourself coming after me…" Sorcerymon turned and opened his hand. "Crystal Cloud," mists fell over Shurimon's feet, lower torso and the right shuriken hand, instantly enveloping them in large crystal prisms.

Shurimon glared up at Sorcerymon, "What happened to not interrupting your enemy?"

"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival," whispered Sorcerymon, the wizard turned and smiled slightly, "Well, except in this case…for I have given you a lesson to learn, and you shall survive the experience…well…there's a good chance you will…"

"Let me go!" shouted Shurimon as Sorcerymon turned the bend.

"You'll be freed, when you learn how to free yourself," shouted the voice of the wizard, "After all, I could give you a fish, but it would be more efficient to show you how to fish!"

Shurimon just tugged at the crystalline bindings that held him and growled.

888

"So…" Kisho looked up at the battlements of the palace. He slid back down and crouched behind the group of boulders he and the others were hiding behind.

"How are we going to go about doing this?" Taku looked at the brown haired boy.

"We need to know what we're up against…" Kisho replied as he looked back at the castle.

"Well, duh," Taku replied as he glared at the goggle-headed boy.

"We need someone fast, and small to attack the castle to measure its defenses," Kisho looked up at Taku.

"Oh no…it's bad enough I'm part of the general bait team, I don't need to be the forward advance of the bait battalion," Taku snapped.

"But you're not the one going!" DemiDevimon returned as he looked at Kisho. "They'll blow me out of the sky!"

"No they won't that's the point of sending someone small, and fast, you'll be able to hit and run, after we know what's going on, where the main defenses are we'll make the real strike…" Kisho looked to Ren, "You're ok with this right?"

Ren nodded quietly and looked at Renamon, "We're set…I'm just nervous about Haru and the others."

"Don't worry, they're fine, they got the safe job, remember," snorted Taku as he stood up. "We're the ones that are going to end up getting shot at…"

"So you're going through with the plan?" DemiDevimon asked as he hovered after Taku.

"Of course, we're the only ones that can do it," Taku said as he climbed over the boulders, "Well, let's get at it!"

"Right!" Shouted DemiDevimon as he opened his wings. Taku held out his digivice and the round bat glowed and grew into a large, gray skinned dragon. Taku hopped onto the dragon's back.

"If we're not back in ten minutes…" Taku started.

"We're coming back, I guarantee it!" growled the dragon as he took flight.

"What do we do now?" asked DORUmon as the little lavender kangaroo-fox hopped forward.

"We wait…" Kisho said quietly. He stood up and climbed to the top of the boulders, "and we watch…"

888

"Where are they?" growled Baronmon quietly to himself. It was dark in his throne room. His eyes were closed. His mind was reaching out into the universe, searching. "Why can't I sense the older brother…the others…I can find. Where is the older brother and his partner…where is that Agumon…and why can I not sense Sorcerymon anymore…? Where…are they…Ah….so that's where you are…is it?" His mind eye saw the older brother appear in a small room in the bowels of the palace. "So…there is a secret entrance…then Sorcerymon must be still within the secret tunnel…" A toothy grin played over the demon's lips, "Then…I think I shall deal with this in person…yes. It's about time I showed myself to these children…"

888

"Sorcerymon…" whispered a voice in the darkness.

"Go away," shouted the wizard as he walked through the blackness. He held his staff out letting it weakly illuminate his path.

"But Sorcerymon!" whined another voice. The wizard winced. "Don't leave us…"

"I didn't leave you!" shouted the wizard, "Renamon needed help!"

"You left us in the claws of the Vilemon…" whispered the voices quietly, "We didn't stand a chance…"

Sorcerymon growled softly and closed his eyes, "You're not real; I'm not going to argue with figments of my imagination!"

"Oh Wisemon…don't be such a sourpuss…" said a gentle voice. Sorcerymon's eyes shot open. There was a soft chuckle, "I see your betraying ways have not changed…and they were just Rookies too…they looked up to you….respected you, and you ran off to save a vixen…of course who would be surprised…you betrayed me to protect your ever important, Founders…"

"This is not real…" hissed Sorcerymon as he looked up.

The shadows cloaked the figure that was talking to him. It was a child, a humanoid child. The figure walked forward into the illumination. Twelve sterling white wings surrounded the humanoid figure. Golden hair topped the child's innocent face.

"Don't lie to yourself, Wisemon," replied the child as he walked closer, "You know very well, that anything here is only as real as you wish it to be…"

"Then you're nothing!" Sorcerymon shouted at the boy.

"You can say the words but you can't believe the lie…" said the child as he looked Sorcerymon in the eyes, "I'm the most real thing you've ever encountered…"

"I doubt that…I knew the real Lucemon, before he lost his mind!" snorted Sorcerymon as he glared at the angelic child.

"Whoever said I lost my mind was an idiot," replied the child as it circled Sorcerymon, "I just…saw the truth…"

"He betrayed his creators," Sorcerymon replied softly.

"They betrayed me first," the child walked in front of Sorcerymon and looked him in the eyes, "And then that horrible female betrayed me to a little, gray mite, and then my closest and dearest friend chose some invisible gods over me…no wonder the truth revealed itself to me…the lies I was told for so long began to collapse in front of me…"

Sorcerymon looked at the child. His eyes were narrowed and his hand gripped his staff tightly. "You…"

"Are you going to strike at me?" asked the child as he looked at Sorcerymon, "Come now…such barbarism isn't your style…"

"How would you know, you're not even real!" growled Sorcerymon as he glared at the boy.

"I'm not real?" The child looked down at himself. "Maybe…we need to test that theory…" The child lifted his hand. "Tell me if this feels real…" Sorcerymon's body jerked angrily as energy rifled through his nervous system. Sorcerymon was flung against the wall of the cave. "Huh…seemed real to me…"

"The cave…can make anything seem real…even pain…" hissed Sorcerymon as he stood up. "You aren't real, you were sealed away many years ago...you aren't around anymore, you're not real, just a figment of my imagination, and I don't have time for you, I have a human child to save."

"I can't let you go…" whispered the angelic child. "You have so many people that want to talk to you…"

The child smirked quietly as he stepped back into the shadows. Three figures stepped out of the darkness. One was a tall, humanoid dinosaur with large machetes attached to his back. Another was a small bear that wore a baseball cap. The third was a tapir that hovered on clouds of smoke.

"You killed us…" hissed the dinosaur human, his face and body were melting softly; the ooze dripped quietly on the floor.

"You drove us to our deaths!" shouted the bear loudly.

"But you didn't stop there, you killed our friends too!" shouted the tapir.

"No!" shouted Sorcerymon as he started to walk away. "No, you are wrong!"

"No, Master Sorcerymon…you're wrong…" A pair of Patamon hovered in front of him.

A white furred, bipedal terrier walked forward. "You let us die…"

"You didn't really care did you?" asked a small humanoid lizard dressed in kendo gear. "You never cared about anyone…just you…"

"I am not going to be put on trial by a collection of bad dreams!" shouted Sorcerymon, "Now I must go!"

"No, you'll stay, Sorcerymon, you'll stay here forever, and atone for you crimes!" the angelic child walked forward. "You're the most heinous of criminals, the one that thinks he has done nothing wrong…"

"Strange, that's what the Founders said about you when they decided to seal you away!" Sorcerymon snarled as he pushed past the angel.

"But I got sentenced!" shouted the angel loudly as Sorcerymon walked away, "You can't escape justice! You can't escape the darkness in your heart, it will consume you!"

"I may not be able to escape, but I can still try to help people before I'm taken!" shouted Sorcerymon loudly as he turned and fired a bolt of energy into the roof of the cave. The ceiling collapsed on the phantasms of his past. "The past is the past…it's to be remembered from, not lauded over…"

Sorcerymon grabbed the end of his cape and swept it around his body and walked forward into a candlelit section of the cave and reached forward pulling on the large, triangular lock of the door. The door pulled open and he walked into the room.

"SORCERYMON!" Agumon and Guilmon gasped as they looked at the wizard. "We were so worried!"

"I'm fine…now…" Sorcerymon closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose.

"We need to find Jiro, and fast, I think I hear explosions, that means…" Haru looked up at Sorcerymon.

"Yes, we should go to him now…" whispered Sorcerymon as he looked up.

"Yes…you never know when the bad guy might return…to thwart you…" chuckled a voice. A lit stairwell at the far end of the room darkened as a shadow proceeded down the stairs. Green robes and a scarlet cloak appeared as the rest of the demonic shaman appeared. Gnarled teeth were visible; its blue face was smirking evilly. "Welcome…to my humble abode…"

"Is that…" Haru gulped as the demon stepped into the room.

"Baronmon…" hissed Sorcerymon as he clutched his staff.

**888**

**Dark: I capitalize DORU, because it is an acronym like NASA, DORU stand for Digital OR Unknown. Now had DemiDevi or Rena been an Acronym as well, I would've also capitalized them, because if I had my choice I wouldn't have because DORU is a pain in the but to type capitalized…and since I started writing it that way, I will probably continue to write it that way, for consistency's sake. **

**Blue: I needed a battle rest this chapter, so the real rescue will be…when I get to it…Yep Agumon has a lot of Champion forms, but this one has to be…more than just a Champion form it has to be…special! So to speak…**


	17. A Lovely Light

**I don't own digimon, if I did; man it wouldn't be as popular.**

**A Lovely Light**

**888**

It was easier than any of them had thought. The castle gates crashed down against Ebidramon's large claws. The small squadrons of Rookie digimon were swept aside like toys by the larger Champions. ExVeemon had made quick work of the battlements, incinerating the archers' hideouts in the stone walls.

"That was too easy," Ren said as she walked into the courtyard of the palace.

It was made of masonry, like most of the castle. The ground was inlaid with brick. Chariots and carriages lined against the walls of the battlements. A fountain was in the middle of the courtyard. It spurted water inconsistently into a dirty puddle below. Small lawns of moss were spread in the shadowy corners of the courtyard.

"I don't like it…" Kisho agreed as he looked around. Only piles of unconscious Veemon, Armadillomon and Hawkmon were inside the walls of the battlements. One or two of the feline marshals of the defenders could be seen strewn out on the ground.

"These Gatomon have been deprived of their tail rings…" remarked DORUgamon as he lifted one of the white felines.

"It is probably the only way Baronmon could get them to use the digimental evolution," growled Ebidramon.

"Still, it was way too easy," Taku said as ExVeemon landed next to DORUgamon.

"I don't like it…" ExVeemon looked around.

"Lion Dance!" the massive maw of the main doors of the castle burst open, as two streams of energy twisted forward. Both were headed by the roaring faces of lions.

"Split Boomerang!" Two spinning projectiles slashed after the lion heads.

ExVeemon was thrown against the inside wall of the battlements by the lion heads. DORUgamon and Ebidramon were smacked backward by the boomerangs. The spinning weapons merged into one and disappeared into the shadows of the castle's interior.

"I do say, that was a very good shot," said a feminine voice quietly.

"Yours as well was quite nice," replied a male voice.

"Who's there?" shouted Taku loudly.

"Oh, should we tell them?" asked the male voice, "or should we make them guess?"

"It would be wise to tell them, we wouldn't want their spirits to haunt us afterward…" replied the female.

Two figures walked out of the shadows. One was a flowery lion priestess, in yellow and red robes. The other was a masked ape, with a green loin cloth, holding a large, red boomerang.

"I am Sepikmon, shaman of the present," announced the ape loudly.

"I am Kabukimon, purifier of the past," replied the priestess as she crossed her flowery hands. "You are interloping on Lord Baronmon's property; we will not allow you to continue!"

"If you two back off, and let us through we don't have to hurt you!" Kisho shouted across the courtyard.

The two digimon looked at each other and started to laugh. Sepikmon lifted his boomerang and Kabukimon swept her arms around slowly and pushed forward.

"Kisho, I don't like this…" whimpered Ren quietly in the goggle-headed boy's ear.

"ExVeemon get them!" shouted Taku suddenly.

"No!" Kisho shouted as the dragon leapt into the air and crossed his arms.

"V Laser!" roared the dragon.

"Cherry Blossom Storm!" Kabukimon outstretched her arms and then thrust them forward. A swirling maelstrom of pink flower petals swarmed forward and engulfed the cross of energy ExVeemon had created and then continued forward.

"Charming Dance!" Sepikmon held his boomerang with both hands and waved it in the air and then slammed it down releasing a twisting blue energy beam. The beam shot toward Kisho and Ren.

"Ren! Kisho!" barked DORUgamon and Ebidramon simultaneously. The two digimon lunged between the beam and the children.

Cherry blossoms stuck to ExVeemon's body. The dragon groaned as the petals started to glow. The flowers then exploded tossing ExVeemon to the ground. Ebidramon and DORUgamon weren't far behind, as Sepikmon's beam tossed them into the air. The two priest digimon walked forward.

"Your fates are soon to be sealed," whispered Kabukimon quietly as she lifted her glowing, lion-faced hands, "Lord Baronmon will rule this island…and finally the Armored digimon will have a say…"

888

"Go…three corridor intersections down; then go to the fourth door on the right…" hissed Sorcerymon as he nudged them toward a corridor. Haru wouldn't budge. Sorcerymon growled loudly, "Child, go!" Sorcerymon pushed Haru, Guilmon and Agumon down a corridor that broke off from the chamber they had stepped into from the cave entrance. The sorcerer turned slowly to Baronmon. The shaman was still standing in the entrance of the stairwell.

"I want to stay with you to help with Baronmon," Haru turned and looked back at Sorcerymon.

"Don't be an idiot! Jiro is more important, you must save him!" shouted Sorcerymon loudly. The white wizard glared at Baronmon, "I'll be right behind you!"

"Come on…" Agumon took Haru's hand and pulled him down the corridor. Guilmon pushed Haru as they retreated into the darkness.

"So, Sorcerymon, you escaped Shurimon," said Baronmon as he walked further into the corridor.

"It wasn't so hard, he moves before he thinks," replied Sorcerymon quietly as he looked at Baronmon.

"I could use a digimon like you at my side," Baronmon took a step forward.

"I'm not an armored digimon, so I suspect your followers won't like that," Sorcerymon replied as he circled away from Baronmon. "And I'm not one to collaborate with known tyrants…"

"Tis a pity, I like you," smiled Baronmon quietly. "I really would not like to destroy you if it is possible…"

"Well, that's just a shame, isn't it? You lie very poorly," Sorcerymon replied. His smiled slightly, "After all you know what they say, 'it is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.' Is that what you are doing, cloaking impotence? Why else would you feign this caring…?"

"Cloaking impotence, no…" Baronmon smirked quietly, "I just don't want to see you hurt."

"No, there is something else…something you don't want anyone to know…" Sorcerymon smirked quietly, "What is it that you're hiding from me...what is it that you're so scared to reveal?"

"Something you'll never find out!" growled Baronmon as he drew his cloak closed. "Meteor Dance!"

The cloak flew open, releasing fiery balls of rock. Sorcerymon dropped to the ground as the rocks flew overhead and exploded into the wall behind him. Rubble dropped from the roof and walls and dusted Sorcerymon.

"Aquarius Fill!" a bolt of azure light struck Baronmon in the stomach. The baron dropped back and grunted. Sorcerymon stood up. There was a large hole burned into Baronmon's green robes. The crimson haired flesh had a slit cut down the center. Sorcerymon looked at the slit and then up at Baronmon, "What…is this?"

Baronmon's eyes burned bright red. The weak lighting in the chamber muted even more. His breath escaped in asthmatically wheezing, hisses. "You…should have not szztruck at me…Sszzorzzsscerymon…"

"What is this?" growled Sorcerymon as the slit shifted.

A stream of black shot out of Baronmon's stomach and before Sorcerymon knew it he was sent hurtling against the wall of the chamber. A large cut ran from his right shoulder down to left hip. Fortunately the tear of flesh was not as severe as it looked, the skin was only superficially broken. His vest was torn open, leaving a reddening gash of fabric. Sorcerymon looked up to see something zip back into the slit on Baronmon's stomach. The white sorcerer got to his feet and glared at Baronmon.

"Meteor Dance!" Baronmon opened his hand and a stream of fiery rocks crashed into Sorcerymon. The wizard crashed against the wall again and dropped to the ground in a heap.

"What have…you…unleashed…?" gasped Sorcerymon as he struggled to his feet.

"Stay down," snorted Baronmon, the wheezing had disappeared.

A crimson whip of hair shot from the sleeve of his robes and slapped Sorcerymon to the ground. Baronmon drew his cloak around his shoulders and disappeared down the corridor Haru and the destined digimon had retreated.

888

Haru glowered as they ran down the corridor. He looked back ever few seconds to see if Sorcerymon was behind him.

"How far did he say?" asked Agumon as he ran in front of Haru.

"He said…after the third intersection, it will be the fourth door," Guilmon replied, "I wish he'd come with us!"

"So do I," Haru growled, "This is the third corridor intersection; I should've known he'd pull this when he gave us these instructions…"

"He's buying us time to find Jiro, he pushed down here for a reason," Guilmon returned as he slid to the fourth door.

"Jiro…I can smell him…" Agumon crashed through the door and sniffed around, "He was here…and then…" The little dinosaur ran up to a large circular portcullis in the wall. "He went through here…"

"Jiro!" shouted Haru loudly as he punched the portcullis. "Can you hear me?"

"I'll get it!" Guilmon opened his mouth, "Pyro Sphere!" The fire ball exploded into the circle. The barrier shuddered. Guilmon snorted and lifted his hand, "Rock Breaker!" The red and black dragon karate chopped the door. The rock face of the portal cracked.

"Pepper Breath!" yelped Agumon and the door exploded inward.

"I loosened it!" shouted Guilmon as Agumon and Haru pushed through the doorway. The dragon huffed and then ran after them.

They rushed past cells. Agumon scrambled forward excitedly shouting for Jiro. Haru skidded to a stop in front of a cell. The blonde's eyes twitched slightly. Tears filled his eyes. In the cell was a small boy, with blonde hair and brown eyes that stared up at Haru. His blue windbreaker was torn and dirty. His green hat must've been discarded somewhere because it was missing completely. The little boy stood up sniffling.

"JIRO!" Haru cried as he ran forward.

"No!" Jiro ran forward. "Don't touch the bars!"

Haru stopped and looked at the rods of light between him and his brother. "But…"

"I'll get these bars out of the way!" shouted Agumon. "Pepper…"

"It won't work!" Jiro yelped, "The bars absorb attack energy."

"Well now what?" grumbled Haru as looked around.

"If you could find the code pad…" a voice behind Haru said, "You may be able to disable the bars…if you destroy it…"

Haru turned and saw a large, metallic man standing behind the bars, next to his cell was another that held a centaur and a red rodent.

"Centaurumon! Elecmon!" gasped Agumon as he ran up to the centaur and the rodent.

"Andromon…" Guilmon looked up at the metal man.

"And Frigimon," Jiro pointed to another cell on the other side of the centaur's that had a large, round snow man.

Agumon's snout twitched and he turned and looked in the cell next to Jiro's, "Ogremon!"

"Yeah, yeah, get with the getting out of here, and less with the reunioning," growled a muscular, green, ogre. Haru tilted his head and saw the creature had long spiked shoulders and long black horns.

"Nice guy…" snorted Haru as he turned back to Jiro.

"Don't listen to him, he's always cranky," grumbled the snowman.

Haru looked at his brother, "Don't worry we'll get you out of here."

"I found it!" yelped Guilmon loudly as he pointed up to a small square in the wall. It had a punch pad and a small screen.

"If we destroy this…then the bars will unlock?" Haru asked as he looked at the device.

"Yes, it is programmed that way so that the prisoners can survive if there is a cave in or other calamity…" replied Andromon quietly.

"Guilmon…" Haru narrowed his eyes. "Do it…"

"Right!" Guilmon nodded, "Pyro Sphere!"

The punch pad exploded into flame. The bars on the cells flickered and then disappeared. The digimon eagerly left their cells and looked around. Jiro ran from his cell and hugged Agumon and then ran up to Haru.

"HARU!" shouted the boy as he leapt forward and tackled Haru with a hug. Haru was pushed against a wall with the force of the hug. "I said you were coming, and Baronmon said you were dead, and I didn't believe him I didn't, for one second, believe you wouldn't come for me!"

"We're not out of here yet," Haru whispered, "Sorcerymon is with Baronmon and the others are up attacking the castle…we need to help them…"

"Do not worry, we will go to the courtyard," announced Andromon as he walked forward with the other prisoners.

"Oi! I'm the general here!" shouted Ogremon loudly. The digimon stopped and turned. Ogremon snorted, "We're going up there and kicking some Armored digimon butt!"

The others nodded and toward the exit. Haru and Jiro looked at each other.

"He's this way," Haru said as he ran back down the corridor. "Come on…"

Guilmon ran after Haru. Agumon looked up at Jiro. "I was so scared…I'm so happy you're ok, and not hurt…I won't ever let them take you away again!"

Jiro smiled and hugged Agumon tightly. He stood up, "Let's go, we can't leave my brother alone after all!"

"Right!" Agumon nodded as he ran next to Jiro. As the two reached the portcullis a bright flash shot into their eyes.

"Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!" growled the voice of the red and black dragon. Jiro looked at Agumon and they proceeded forward.

"Ah…so the family is reunited," breathed the red cloaked demon. "How touching…"

"Where's Sorcerymon?" Haru growled loudly. "You better not have hurt him, Baronmon!"

"He's been…dealt with," Baronmon smirked quietly.

"You monster!" Haru shouted he glared at Baronmon. "Raptordramon…"

The large cyborg dinosaur charged forward and grabbed Baronmon. The red cloaked demon smirked.

"You should pick on digimon your own size," snarled Baronmon. A whip of hair slapped forward smacking Raptordramon. The dragon snorted and held his grip. A black aura flooded around Baronmon, "You fools to come to me, you can't win! I won't let you!"

Raptordramon retreated as the aura whipped around Baronmon. A large sphere of darkness rolled around Baronmon as he lifted to the ceiling. The stone work eroded away from the sphere as Baronmon escaped into ceiling.

"Hey!" shouted Jiro as he ran under the hole. "You can't just run away, we haven't even started yet!"

"Come on," Haru climbed onto Raptordramon's back. He turned and reached out to his brother, "We're going after him."

Jiro and Agumon scrambled up on the back of Raptordramon. The jets under Raptordramon's wings burned downward as the dragon lifted vertically. Raptordramon's wings scraped against the edges of the hole, as he rose up after Baronmon.

888

"I have to warn them…" Sorcerymon staggered down the corridor. He heard something explode up ahead. "I may be too late…"

Sorcerymon pushed off his staff and stumbled forward, grabbing onto the edge of a doorway. The door he was looking for was blasted open. Smoke billowed out of the room.

"No…" Sorcerymon staggered into the room. There was no one in there. His eyes searched around and found a large hole in the ceiling. "I must get to them!"

888

"Split Boomerang!" One of two spinning projectiles struck ExVeemon in the stomach; the other flew into the dragon's chin as he lurched forward. The boomerangs merged and returned to Sepikmon as ExVeemon crashed to the ground.

"Power Metal!" snarled DORUgamon as he pounced on Kabukimon. The priestess leapt back and punched forward releasing a stream of lion-headed energy into DORUgamon.

"Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon fired bolts of aquatic power at the priestess, who nullified it with a wall of cherry blossoms.

"Fools, you can't defeat Lord Baronmon's second and third in command!" laughed the two as they leapt forward, "You have no chance against our master!"

"Split Boomerang!" Sepikmon threw the bent weapon forward. It split as it spun turning into two boomerangs. ExVeemon growled as he tried to stand. The weapons whirred as they closed in on him.

"ExVeemon!" shouted Taku as he ran forward. "Get out of there!"

"Cherry Blossom Storm!" Kabukimon swept her hands in a large circle in front of her and a typhoon of pink blossoms raged forward. Ebidramon and DORUgamon growled as they looked at the oncoming flowers.

"We have to retreat, DORUgamon! Run!" shouted Kisho loudly.

"Come on Ebidramon, let's get out of here!" Ren shouted as she started to run.

"Lightning Blade!" An arc of lightning sliced through the twin boomerangs.

"Subzero Ice Punch!" A wave of blue ice intercepted the flower petals.

The digi-destined gasped and turned. Running up the trail was a group of digimon, a metal man, a snowman, a centaur, a red rodent and a green ogre.

"The prisoners!" Sepikmon growled as he looked at the digimon.

"They've escaped!" Kabukimon snarled.

"That's right, flower girl!" growled the ogre as he leapt over the digi-destined. "Now it's our turn to have fun with you!" He lifted a huge bone club and slammed it downward. "Bone Cudgel!"

Kabukimon leapt backward and the club smashed into the brickwork of the courtyard leaving a large divot. The centaur lifted its arm, forming a large cannon, and fired a stream of energy into the chest of Sepikmon.

"My turn!" the small rodent charged forward and fanned its tail. Sparks of electricity shot over the tails, "Super Thunder Strike!" a blast of lightning crashed into Sepikmon throwing the ape the wall of the castle.

The snowman tossed large snowballs at Kabukimon as the flower priestess retreated from the swings of the ogre. The muscle bound ogre punched forward releasing a burst of lavender energy into the priestess. The snowman charged forward and leveled a freezing fist on the ground next to Kabukimon. The flower priestess's body up to her neck was engulfed by frozen tendrils.

The metal man lifted Sepikmon up by the shoulders. The monkey was whimpering loudly for mercy.

"He doesn't deserve mercy!" growled the rodent. "Andromon, crush him!"

"Wait…" the centaur walked forward, "This is not the way…"

"Centaurumon, shut up, crush him, Andromon!" snorted the ogre loudly.

"No, if we kill him, we'll be no better than them," the snowman retorted.

"Geologic disturbance…" hummed Andromon suddenly.

Suddenly the ground in the courtyard exploded open as a quickly spinning black sphere lifted into the air. A few minutes later a large metallic dinosaur was large metal airfoils lifted out of the hole.

"Haru!" shouted Kisho loudly.

"Jiro!" Ren cried as she looked up. The large metallic dinosaur touched down next to the digi-destined.

"Digi-destined!" growled the sphere loudly. "You're limited time here is over!"

"Lord Baronmon?" yelped Sepikmon loudly. The monkey started to laugh, "It's over for you now! Lord Baronmon will crush you!"

Andromon dropped Sepikmon and turned around. His hand started to spin, "Lightning Blade!"

An arc of lightning sliced forward, but bounced off the sphere. The voice from the sphere laughed.

"Fool…" Black tendrils shot forward. One impaled Sepikmon, the other sliced through Kabukimon and her ice prison.

"Lord…B-Baronmon…" whispered Sepikmon, "Why…?"

"I need your data…" replied the voice loudly as it dragged the two digimon into the sphere. The two priest digimon screamed as the sphere tore their bodies apart. The shadowy figure within the sphere turned to the digi-destined. "Hehe…now…to deal with you…"

"You're a monster!" shouted Centaurumon. He lifted his cannon and fired a beam of energy at the sphere, to less effect than Andromon's attempt.

"I don't care about you," growled the sphere as a wave of darkness attacked the freed prisoners sending them crashing into a heap. A pair of crimson eyes flashed over the digi-destined, "You're the ones that need to be eliminated!"

"You'll have to go through us!" shouted ExVeemon. The dragon glided forward, "So why don't you come out of your little bubble and fight us like a real mon, instead of just a coward!"

"Hehe, as you wish," The dark sphere collapsed and the shadow of the figure within the sphere grew.

The clothes tore as the beast enlarged, growing even larger than the battlements. The darkness faded to reveal a huge, crimson haired beast with a laughing blue face. Only a tattered portion of his green robes around his waist was left. Huge tentacles of hair weaved in the air.

"He's big…" gasped Ren quietly.

"Size isn't everything," Taku growled as he looked up at the beast.

"I'm not scared of him," Kisho glared upward. "We can beat him…"

"After all this we can beat just about anything!" Haru looked up at the beast. "Let's get him!"

"Right!" Raptordramon charged forward. "Crash Charge!" Streams of electricity rushed over the beast's hairy body.

"V Laser!" snarled ExVeemon as he unleashed a cross of energy into the beast's chest.

The beast stumbled back slightly as DORUgamon took flight and dove down releasing an energized ball bearing into the beast. Ebidramon raged forward grabbing the beast's legs with her large claws. The beast fell backward crashing against the wall of the palace. It roared angrily and grabbed Ebidramon and tossed her into DORUgamon. The two digimon crashed to the ground sliding even further on the ground and slamming against the walls of the battlements. The beast then stood up and stomped forward.

ExVeemon dove into the beast's path and punched the beast across the chin but a stream of hair whipped up and slapped the dragon away. Raptordramon fired missiles up at the beast but more hair tendrils whipped in front of the weapons deflecting them in all directions.

"Watch out!" shouted Haru as he grabbed Taku and tossed him to the ground. A missile whistled past the two boys' heads and exploded into the wall behind them.

"I will consume you all…" growled the beast as hair tendrils reached out for the digi-destined.

"No! Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon lurched forward and released energy pellets trying to deflect the hair ribbons.

"Power Metal!" DORUgamon fired a golden ball of energy into the forehead of the beast.

Raptordramon hugged one of the beast's legs. ExVeemon dove down and tried to tackle the beast backward at the waist. The beast snarled loudly and red hair shot forward tossing ExVeemon and Raptordramon against walls and dragged them down over the wall.

"No…" Agumon looked up as the beast thrust Raptordramon and ExVeemon into Ebidramon and DORUgamon. "I should be able to digivolve…why can't I? The others need me…"

"You…" The beast turned and looked at Jiro. "You are the key to this…I shall crush you first…to ensure my victory…"

"Just cuz you got big; doesn't mean I'm afraid of you, Baronmon!" shouted Jiro loudly, "You're just a big liar!"

"In a few seconds it won't matter!" growled the beast as it lifted a hand and a stream of crimson hair roared forward.

"NO!" Haru scrambled forward and tackled Jiro and Agumon as the hair shot past.

Raptordramon roared and fired his jets and flew up throwing his weight into Baronmon's face. DORUgamon charged and crashed against the beast's chest flapping his large wings roughly as he pushed forward. ExVeemon again charged for the beast's hips hoping to drive the monster back. Ebidramon launched an assault at Baronmon's fumbling feet, hoping to topple the monster from below.

"They can't beat him…" Ren looked up at the fight.

The beast tore Raptordramon from his face and threw him against a wall. Baronmon crashed a fist down on ExVeemon sending the gray fleshed dragon crashing to the ground. Baronmon then slapped DORUgamon away and dropped a foot on top of Ebidramon, stunning the large arthropod. It glared down at Haru and Jiro.

"You won't get him!" shouted Kisho as he ran in front of the brothers, "You'll have to go through us first!"

Ren looked over to Kisho and then joined him, "We're not giving up to you!"

Taku glared up at Baronmon, "Yeah, King Kong, we're going to take you down."

"You fools you don't stand a chance!" Baronmon swept his arm up and the hair swirled around it, turning into a massive whip of hair. Baronmon swept the hair forward.

"Aquarius Fill!" A beam of azure light shot up through the hole that Baronmon had come in and sliced the hair whip in half, sending the tip of it wafting into the wind. The wizard rose out of the hole and landed in front of the children. "You're despicable, Baronmon…You dare to think you can control it? You can barely contain it…it's taken you over, Baronmon!"

"You know nothing!" roared the beast loudly. It raged angrily.

"I know you took the Dark Digimental from its barrier in the catacombs of the temple!" Sorcerymon narrowed his eyes, "You fool, do you not know what that contains?"

"Enough power to rule this world!" roared Baronmon loudly.

"Idiot! It contains the most dangerous agent of darkness in this world!" shouted Sorcerymon. The wizard pointed his staff forward, "You were tricked into thinking it would help you, but it only wants to use you! You're just a vessel for it, and when it's finished with you it will find another!" Sorcerymon turned to the digi-destined, "You must destroy him now! Attack!"

Ebidramon, DORUgamon, ExVeemon and Raptordramon charged forward. Sorcerymon leapt upward and unleashed a burst of azure energy into Baronmon's stomach. ExVeemon fired his V Laser into the face of Baronmon. Raptordramon's Ambush Crunch missiles exploded into Baronmon's chest. Ebidramon slammed her claws into the legs of Baronmon as he staggered back. DORUgamon rolled into a ball and rammed himself into Baronmon's stomach. Baronmon fell backward and leaned against the castle walls.

"You cannot destroy me!" roared Baronmon. He stood up. His hair blackened and his eyes burned bright red. "Feel my wrath!"

Baronmon opened his mouth and released a torrent of black energy that swept the destined digimon to the ground and washed them out in front of their partners. Sorcerymon hovered yet in front of Baronmon.

"So the beast shows itself…" Sorcerymon lifted his hand.

"I missed one…" growled the beast; it swept its hand up and slapped Sorcerymon to the ground in front of the children.

The wizard quivered slightly as he lay on the ground. Baronmon growled and stomped forward kicking the destined digimon out of his way.

"Run Jiro!" yelped Agumon as he pushed the small boy away and turned to Baronmon. "I'll protect you!"

Baronmon ignored Agumon as he walked forward. The other children tried to stand up to the beast, but Baronmon only pushed them aside like ants. Haru leapt on the beast but Baronmon only picked him off like he was a flea. Jiro backed up against a wall, and looked up at Baronmon.

"Pepper Breath!" Agumon piped as he ran in front of Baronmon. The fireballs fizzled against the black hair of the beast.

"I will tear you apart human!" growled Baronmon loudly. "And then the prophecy will never come to fruition!"

"NO!" Haru shouted. He looked over to the other digimon, but they were still out cold on the ground.

Tendrils of hair hovered in the air like thousands of vipers ready to strike at Jiro. The tendrils flashed forward snatching up the other children in their grips. Haru tried to run but the hair wrapped around his leg and dragged him into the air.

"Now that there is no more interference…" Baronmon glared down at Agumon and Jiro. "Say good bye…."

A spear of hair launched forward. It only took seconds, there was a flash of movement and then the hair was lodged angrily with in a fleshy target. Jiro and Agumon gasped in pained shock as they looked forward. Sorcerymon was impaled on the spear of hair. Baronmon snarled angrily and threw the wizard off of his hair spear. Sorcerymon bounced down to the ground and rolled to Jiro's feet. The blonde haired boy dropped to his knees and looked at the clouding blue eyes of the sorcerer.

"Sorcerymon are you ok?" whimpered the boy as he brought the wizard into his lap. "Please, Sorcerymon say something!"

The wizard's eyes flickered slightly. His eyelids lowered and rose like there were heavy weights attached to them. His eyes slid up to Jiro's face.

"SORCERYMON!" shouted the children from the clutches of Baronmon.

Sorcerymon wheezed slightly and then put his hand up on Jiro's face. His body started to glow brightly and a serene look came over his face.

"My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends. It gives a lovely light!" whispered the sorcerer as his body exploded into flicks of light that swarmed around Jiro's digivice. A whispered breath filled the air, "He's not as he seems…the one are two…and the two are one…"

"Sorcerymon…" Jiro looked up at Baronmon and growled. "You killed him!"

"He killed himself! He should've stayed out of my way! If he had stayed in his little hovel on Mihirashi Mountain then none of this would've happened!" retorted Baronmon loudly.

"You…" Jiro stood up and clenched his fists. "You…you…" Jiro closed his eyes and a tear fell down on his digivice.

"You fool, he only bought you seconds…now…die!" a second spear of hair shot toward Jiro.

"No, run JIRO!" shouted the others as the hair flew forward.

"You MONSTER!" Jiro screamed loudly as his digivice fired forward with a stream of golden light.

"Agumon digivolve to…."A sphere of golden light enveloped around Agumon, picked him up and then sliced through the hair. The light grew brighter and then imploded back into the dinosaur. The creature revealed was bathed in golden light. The light faded only slightly, and revealed large plates of golden armor on its shoulders, and golden armor on its chest. Golden armor covered its waist and golden gauntlets covered its lower arms and golden armored leggings. Its skin was like Agumon's only a brighter gold colored. On its head was a golden helmet with large golden plates that looked like large V-shaped eyebrows that jutted up from its head. Two brightly glowing eyes glared out from the helmet. A deep voice declared, "…Magnamon!"

Baronmon looked up in terror filled shock, dropping the children from his grasp.

"That's…Agumon…" Haru looked up in awe as the golden knight hovered in the air. A golden tail swished slightly from behind the golden waist armor.

"He must have…digivolved…" Kisho whispered as he looked up at the warrior.

"He's…" Taku looked up at the glowing dragon knight. "He's…"

"Beautiful…" whispered Ren as she gaped at the knight.

"Baronmon! You have defiled this world! And released a great evil upon it!" announced the knight loudly. "You cannot be allowed to proceed!"

"How dare you pass judgment over me? You yourself are an Armored digimon!" shouted Baronmon loudly.

"What?" the digi-destined looked up at Magnamon. The knight didn't flinch and only glared at Baronmon.

"Do not confuse me with the past!" returned Magnamon loudly. "Unlike him, I do not need a digimental…I only need the backing of my friend!" Magnamon looked down at Jiro and nodded he turned back to Baronmon, "Give yourself up and you may be reborn!"

"I will not surrender!" roared Baronmon as he released thousands of hair spears forward.

Magnamon disappeared in a flurry of movement leaving the hairs to strike empty air. A golden streak flashed forward slamming into the side of Baronmon's face. It disappeared only to reappear on the other side and smack Baronmon in the other direction. The knight then appeared high in the sky. He cupped his hands together. An energy ball formed in his hands.

"Magna Blast!" A comet of golden energy crashed on top of Baronmon driving the beast to his knees. Magnamon dove down and impaled a kick into Baronmon's chest, toppling the beast onto its back.

Baronmon started to chuckle as he rose back up. His eyes flashed bright red. "You will never win! I shall consume you first, Magnamon!"

Suddenly Baronmon's stomach exploded forward releasing a blackened form that grabbed Magnamon tightly. The knight struggled against the darkness, but it was easily dragging him into the enlarged Baronmon.

"You! You're the one Sorcerymon talked of!" Magnamon gasped loudly as he struggled even more feverishly.

"Magnamon! Get out of there!" Jiro shouted loudly as he watched the knight being pulled into the gut of Baronmon.

"I won't let you consume me!" roared Magnamon loudly.

The knight glowed brightly and thrust backward dragging Baronmon into the air by the darkness protruding from his gut. The knight continued to hover upward until he was a tiny speck. Jiro and the others looked up in the sky worriedly. Their digivices reacted sharply and fired beams of light upward towards Magnamon. The children looked over to their partners as they reverted to their Rookie forms.

"What's going on?" whimpered Guilmon as he tried to stand.

"Magna Explosion!" announced a deep voice from far above.

The sky blazed like a million suns. The children instantly covered their eyes as the sky burned with light. Golden lightning arched through the sky in all directions.

888

"Faster!" shouted a young man in long beige robes that blew as the wind whipped around his frame. "Faster! We have to get to the digi-destined and give them these tags and crests!"

"I'm going as fast as I can," grumbled a deep voice from a large blimp that the man was sitting on.

"Well, go faster, Blimpmon!" the man shouted, "We have to get them these tags and crests!"

"You mean you finished them on time?" asked the blimp quietly. "I thought they were still being produced…"

"The first five are finished," snorted the man loudly. "I must get them these first five tags and crests as soon as possible…"

"I will try to go faster, Master Gennai," grumbled the blimp as it flew forward.

The man took out a small box and opened it to look at five small pendants within when the sky was seared by light. The man instantly flung his arm up over his eyes. Low rumbles of thunder coursed forward as the blimp tumbled and jolted.

"Hold it steady!" shouted the man loudly.

"Too much energy, Master Gennai!" groaned the blimp as he lurched to the right.

Gennai fell to the right and the packet in his hand flew from his grip and bounced along the blimp's balloon. Gennai tried to catch the box but it tumbled from the blimp and fell downward.

"NO!" Gennai shouted loudly as he reached out straining to impossibly reach the falling box. He saw it as it disappeared into the forest of an island below. "The tags and crests…"

"Should we go after them?" asked Blimpmon as he finally stabilized.

"No…we will have to ask the digi-destined to search for the tags and crests…" Gennai snorted as he looked down at the wild island, "Our meeting the digi-destined is too important…full speed ahead!"

"Yes, Master Gennai," replied the digimon as he flew faster.

888

Baronmon's charred, shrunken body crashed down on the ground in a clump. The children yelped as the figure jerkily rose up. His eyes looked blank as he lifted to his feet. The digimon rushed to the children and blocked.

"Where's Magnamon?" Jiro scoured the sky frantically looking for his partner.

Shards of golden armor fell onto the ground, clanking loudly as they struck the ground. Jiro looked over at the pile of dirty, burnt golden armor. He took a slow step forward and then ran to the armor. He pulled the armor back feverishly and looked down. A small jiggling ball of black was looking up at him with large golden eyes.

"A-Agumon…" whispered Jiro. He looked back at the others. "What happened?"

"Jiro get back here…" hissed Haru as he ran to his brother and pulled him back to the group.

"It looks like Agumon used a lot of energy to free himself and forced himself to revert to his Baby form, Botamon," whispered Renamon as she flicked her eyes back to see the jiggling form in Jiro's hands.

"Hehehehehe," rasped Baronmon's charred body. "The knight tried to destroy me…he failed…I live on; this corpse protected me well. Now it is time for me to be free of it…hehehehe."

"Shut up! Pyro Sphere!" growled Guilmon in annoyance as a crimson sphere exploded into Baronmon's body.

The body of Baronmon melted away and was siphoned into a dark crystal ball sitting on an obsidian pedestal. The children watched as something started to leak from the crystal ball. After the fluid pooled on the ground it rose up and formed into a physical shape. It was like a muscular wallaby crossed with a mantis. Two, horn-like spikes jutted from the back of its oval head. Its skin was pink hued. Small, beady, insectoid eyes looked at the children. Large, black scythes composed its hands and feet. The hand scythes had tiny hooks at the bottom of the blade and tiny spikes jutted up from its spine.

"What…are you…?" Haru narrowed his eyes.

"No…" The digimon prisoners awoke from their forced nap. "Is that…"

"Kill it! Quick!" shouted the ogre. "It came from Baronmon it can't be good!"

Andromon stood up and sliced his arm forward releasing an electrical blade. The strange creature swept around and sliced its scythe through the blade and absorbed the energy. It silently leapt forward lifting its arm scythes. In silence it attacked the prisoners sending them retreating from the scythes. Its head jerked back to the digi-destined.

"Uh oh…" gulped DORUmon. "I think it sees us…"

The creature leapt forward.

"Helium Bomb!" A sphere of energy crashed down and exploded into the beast driving it into the ground. The creature skidded in front of the crystal ball that it escaped from.

"Arkadimon!" The children looked up. A giant blimp was lowering itself. A man in beige robes leapt down from the blimp and landed between the children and the beast.

The creature tilted its head silently as it seemed to measure up the man. It narrowed its beady eyes and quickly leapt backward behind the crystal ball and grabbed it. A black sphere enveloped around the beast and the crystal ball and its pedestal. The man in the robes growled and leapt forward drawing a thin blade from its sheath at his waist, but the bubble repulsed the man and lifted into the air. In silence, the sphere turned and disappeared to the north leaving a blackened contrail behind it.

"No," the man growled. He spun around on the children. "Why didn't you stop it?"

"Ok…A: Who are you?" Taku growled. The black haired boy glared at the man in robes, "and B: What the hell was that thing?"

"I see…you're still confused…then…I will have to explain a few things…" sighed the man as he walked forward, "Come, we have much to discuss…"

**888**

**AN: Not sure how you guys will like how this turned out. But I enjoyed it! Next arc is going to be…something. Hopefully it will not be nearly as long as the Assaultmon one in Shadows…Original title was going to be _The Beast Within_, but since I already did a ……Within last chapter I thought it best to go with something else. I also thought to make the title, _Miracle: Magnamon Appears,_ but I didn't want to spoil the chapter for you all, since that was a big surprise thing for this arc. **

**Blue: Is that a special enough evolution? I hope so, because that's what it is...**

**Dark: I'm glad you like it, hope it stays that way. **


	18. Flotsam and Jetsam

**I don't own digimon**

**Flotsam and Jetsam**

**888**

"So wait…let me see if I got this straight, Gennai?" Haru looked up at the man in robes. The man nodded and smiled. He had led them down into the bowels of the palace. Haru looked at a large circle that had been drawn into the floor. "You're a member of a group of humanoid…digimon…?"

"Not digimon, digital life forms," corrected Gennai quietly as he nodded.

"Right…" the blonde furrowed his brow, "anyways in the past there was this angel who had been created by your guys' gods in order to keep this world balanced and to stop a number of wars and such that had overtaken your world…"

"So far so good," smiled the man as he poked around the circle and reached up to touch a pedestal in the middle of the round carving.

The carving had eight smaller carvings cut in the left and right periphery of the circle and a single, large star carved at the top of the circle. Gennai sighed quietly as he brushed dust off the pedestal.

"And then this evil digimon…named Kurayami…" Haru continued.

"Not digimon…a digital god…" chastised the man loudly.

"A Founder…" whispered Renamon, the fox narrowed her eyes, "The Betrayer…The Raging Storm of Darkness…"

"Anyways, this Founder…empowered a number of digimon, to do his work in getting whatever vengeance it was he wanted…" Haru stated confidently.

"Hey! Don't talk about Kurayami like he was just some evil thug…he had a point!" yelped DemiDevimon loudly.

"Not this again…" sighed DORUmon.

"Hey, he wasn't completely wrong! The viral digimon were being treated like crap, you only have to take a history class to know that!" growled DemiDevimon loudly.

"And this was how long after both Data and Viral digimon had the Vaccine digimon in slave labor and forced combat service?" growled DORUmon quietly.

"The Data digimon didn't harm our servants as badly as…the others persecutors…" Renamon replied defensively, casting a sidelong glance at DemiDevimon.

"Hey!" DemiDevimon growled loudly. The bat looked over to Guilmon, "Well, dragon breath, help me!"

"Uh…" Guilmon put a claws finger to his mouth, "Help you how?"

"For crying out loud! You're a Viral digimon!" yelped DemiDevimon in exasperation.

"I doubt that…" murmured Gennai as he wiped his arm against the walls, "I would not be surprised if Guilmon is a Vaccine digimon…I believe when we sanctioned the digivices, we made sure to get a purified viral digimon in the mix…"

"Great…surrounded by enemies!" growled DemiDevimon.

"I don't want to fight with Renamon or DORUmon, DemiDevimon," whimpered Guilmon. "I don't even want to fight with you, can't we just get along?"

"HEY! I want to finish this!" groused Haru as he looked at the man, "Anyways, amongst Kurayami's helpers was a digimon known as Daemon…who was trying to overthrow this angel and his taskforce of goodness and balance…and nearly had, until this angel and his top generals sealed him away…but Daemon had created a digimon of his own…named…"

"Arkadimon…" the robed man breathed the name like it toxic. "A perversion of the Founder's design…"

"Yeah, anyways this angel…Lucemon?" Haru looked up. The digimon and Gennai winced and shivered. Haru blinked, "What?"

"We do not speak his name," Renamon replied quietly, "He was very…evil…"

"But he was a protector of the entire world; he couldn't have been that bad…" Kisho looked up suddenly.

"He was good…but…" Gennai turned and held his hands in front of him.

"He turned evil…because of Kurayami's influence on him," DORUmon said quickly.

Jiro looked up, he was holding Botamon gently, "but how could someone who's supposed to protect the world become someone who would try to destroy it?"

"It was Arkadimon, wasn't it?" Haru looked up, "Kurayami used Arkadimon to transformed Luce…" the digimon seized and Haru hesitated, "err, the angel…"

"Nope…" said the man quietly as he walked to the children, "He changed because of a sad heart…"

"Huh?" Ren looked up, "You mean someone broke his heart?"

"Yep…" said Gennai as he looked at the children, "One of his generals was a digimon named Angewomon, a very feminine looking and beautiful digimon. Lucemon had great love for her, and believed in her loyalty to him, but she betrayed him to protect what she believed to be an innocent life form," Gennai sat down on the floor and beckoned the others to do the same. "You see, when…" Gennai frowned quietly and narrowed his eyes with a little shudder, "Lucemon…learned about Arkadimon he wanted it destroyed because it was made by Daemon, so he sent Angewomon to do it, unfortunately the young feminine angel had a soft heart, and believed that, since Arkadimon had yet to do anything, it was unfair to destroy it just because its creator was evil. She could not destroy the baby Arkadimon, so she sealed it here, in this chamber, using the very powers of the Founders, so to keep…her employer…from being able to break the seal. This greatly saddened and angered…her employer…so he killed her…"

"He killed his love?" gasped Ren loudly.

"He hadn't a choice, too many digimon were rising up in power and threatened his ability to keep this world's balance and if he had allowed her to disobey him, others would follow," Gennai explained quietly. "It was part of the fallen Founder's plan. Kurayami had hoped that the combination of increasingly powerful evil forces and the eventual betrayal of his most beloved of generals would send the angel into a blind hate for the Digital World and its Founders…it was enough for Kurayami, acting like he was being sincere, to persuade the angel to do his bidding," sighed the robed man. Gennai looked at the children, "The angel's corruption led him to try and destroy the Digital World, and rebuild it in his image…"

"The Founders sent eight, great digimon to stop the angel…and they eventually sealed him on an island to the north…" whispered Renamon as she looked up, "Setup Island."

Gennai nodded quietly. "The Founders then searched for Kurayami, and sentenced him to an eternity of pain, malice and sadness trapped between this world and the World of Darkness…a place where the evil and unrepentant go. It's been many years since then but something is wrong…Malice is building in this world, many wars have broken out between settlements of digimon; the one here is just one of many. My peers and I decided it was time for the digivices to be put to work."

"So you sent them to get us?" Taku looked at Gennai sharply with his onyx eyes, "Why us?"

"Do you remember a few months ago…," Gennai replied quietly, "The bombing of Highton View Terrace? That was no bombing…"

"What was it then? Digimon?" snorted Taku loudly.

"Well…" Gennai looked down, "We were doing an experiment on the digital conformation of Digi-eggs…and well one of them escaped…and rolled off…and somehow found a way to activate the portal to the Human World, we had to send a digimon to retrieve him…anyways as we scanned the area we noted eight signatures that met with the appropriate levels of energy we needed for the devices we've been developing…"

"Eight? But there are only five of us," Haru replied in surprise.

"Wait, a portal to the Human World?" Taku glared up at Gennai, "You can send us home?"

"We…were hoping…you'd wish to stay and help us…" replied Gennai.

"You kidnapped us! You dragged us into a deadly war; you got one of our own captured!" Taku glared at Gennai. "And you expect…"

"Taku, they must be desperate, if they were forced to kidnap us…" Kisho whispered as he looked up, "We should continue. I mean if it keeps other kids like us from being dragged here; then it's worth it," Kisho looked at DORUmon and smiled. "Plus it's not like we haven't some friends here…"

Taku glowered angrily and crossed his arms.

"Anyways, this whole egg…bombing of Heighton View Terrace…" Haru grumbled as turned back to Gennai. "What happened to the other three of us then?"

"Well, you see, those eight signatures we found were from extremely young humans, and…well…we'd only made five digivices…so it was unacceptable to call them, but that's when we started to develop alternate plans, and…that's when we found other signatures, and though they were not as powerful as the original eight, they did have a more dualistic in the manner in which the energy was expressed…" Gennai replied quietly. "You see the reason I came here was not to give you a history lesson, but to give you the most recently created tools to help you in our struggle; we call them Tags and Crests…they tap into the very elemental spirits dwelling in your souls," Gennai looked up at Taku, "Actually, we had to create two more tags and crests…because Taku held two elements we never expected to find in such high, yet stable quantities…to be utilized…"

"Well?" Kisho looked up at the robed man, "Where are these tags and crests?"

"Well, that's the second of two snags…" Gennai rubbed the back of his head. "The first one being, that we had to call you sooner than expected You see, originally there were to be ten tags and crests….but we've only finished five of each pair…but those five will be quite enough for you right now…"

"Yeah and…?" Taku looked up at Gennai.

"Well…we were in transit…Blimpmon and I…and well…" Gennai blushed bright red, "We dropped them…a massive shockwave sent us into a bit of a tizzy and they sort of flew from my hands and fell…"

"You mean they fell into the ocean?" Jiro looked at the man his eyes wide as saucers.

"Well…not quite…" Gennai rolled his fingers against each other. "They fell…on an…island…"

Renamon's eyes narrowed. "You don't mean…they aren't on…"

"Heh, heh…small Digital World isn't it?" Gennai giggled nervously. He coughed and then made his face stern, "Yes, they are upon Setup Island…but don't worry, the island is almost completely uninhabited…what with the bad angel mojo…"

"That's the point, dipstick!" growled DemiDevimon as he glared at Gennai, "The bad angel mojo is precisely the reason nobody goes there! Why would we want to go there?"

"To get the tags and crests…" Guilmon said quietly.

"And how do you think we're going to get them?" DemiDevimon growled.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We have to go on the island," DORUmon replied with a nod.

"That's impossible, it's too much of a risk…He could…" Renamon started.

"But he's sealed up…it won't hurt to just go and get the tags and crests and leave," replied Haru as he looked at the others, "It's like going to an old run down house and pretending it's haunted…there's no real danger…it's just been hyped up…I'm sure he won't even know we're there…"

"I'm more worried about Arkadimon…" Gennai stood up, "He holds the Dark Digimental…in the past it was his prison…but now, it may be the key to his freedom."

"What do you mean?" Haru stood and looked at the robed man.

"The Dark Digimental is unlike the others, it doesn't create a specific line of digivolutions…it just keeps evolving the holder of the digimental until the holder can no longer evolve, and with it, nothing can hinder the evolution…not even…" Gennai closed his fist. "You have to get the digimental from him…we must dispose of it…before he can utilize it for his own use."

"But…" Haru looked at Gennai, "We don't know where he went…"

"He went north, probably going to try and find a nice quiet place to evolve…" whispered Gennai. "Or rest…he isn't probably feeling very well, at least not right now."

"Then he also is planning to go to Setup Island," Renamon narrowed her eyes, "I dislike this even more; we're tempting fate by going there, if the angel's seal is broken…"

"Do not fret," Gennai assured. "The more you worry the more likely you are to upset the balance that holds…him."

"Even if we're going to go," Taku said as he stood and dusted himself down, "How are we going to get there? I mean Ebidramon isn't going to swim us there or anything…"

"I have already made ready transportation to Setup Island," replied Gennai as he started to walk out of the chamber they were standing in, "Blimpmon and I will take you to him. There is still a level of resistance on File Island; I would not wish you to exhaust yourself in the remaining squabbles."

"He?" the others looked at each other.

"An old friend of mine, his name is, Whamon," replied Gennai as he started to climb the stares.

888

He finally knew his name for sure. He was Arkadimon. He was born of evil to be evil. He had to fulfill his purpose. His muscles twitched and he looked around himself.

Flickers of energy were flashing over his body. He felt the purifying powers of the barrier trying to balance out his power with that of the forces of good. He tried to growl as the strikes of energy snapped over his body but only silence met his efforts. He didn't understand it, the digimental should be nullifying the barrier's effect, but it wasn't. He looked down and a small smile tried to exist on his insect-like mandibles. There was an island below. His scythe like hands gripped the dark pedestal. He hovered slowly for a few seconds and then dove down.

He sensed it. A being was there, a strong one, stronger than his previous host. He was still disconcerted, though. He shouldn't need a host. He should be able to use the digimental to disable the barrier's power. It didn't matter. He decided that he'd rather have a host anyways. It made things easier on his, still vulnerable, body. He heard his host through the forest.

"Figaro, Figaro, Fiiigarrrroooo!" called the voice theatrically through the evening air.

He landed quietly a few meters away from the sound of the voice. The first stars were blinking to life in the orange and navy blue sky.

"Figaro, Figaro, Fiiiigarrrrroooo!" called the voice loudly, "Hey! Figaro!"

He narrowed his eyes as the voice burned into his small aural openings. He shook his head and jumped forward bounding quietly forward through the underbrush. A few seconds brought him into view with his new host. It was a metallic digimon, with a heavy, metallic padding on his upper torso. A small head with a greenish cap topped the body. The creature turned and revealed a large hump on its back that smoked. Flecks of liquid rock leapt periodically from the miniature volcano on its back.

"FIGARO, FIGARO, FIIIGARRRRROOOO!" the creature was shouting into a microphone in its right hand. The digimon tossed the microphone into its left hand and then leaned into the implement and shouted again, "Hey! Figaro!"

He wanted to snarl, but found it only induced a silent pressure on his throat. He stepped forward in front of the new host.

The creature turned suddenly, "Sukamon! Wait…you're not Sukamon!"

He blinked quietly and then took another step forward.

"What do you want? I came to this island to escape the paparazzi!" snarled the creature.

He offered up the crystal ball in silence. The creature looked at the gift and then smirked quietly.

"I see, a fan, come to see his mentor," the creature chuckled as it took the pedestalled crystal ball. "Though you're a strange one," the creature took out a pen and put it to the crystal ball. "Now, who do I make this out to?"

He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the creature, annoyance built up in his muscles. He walked forward and lifted a scythed arm.

"What are you doing?" shouted the metal digimon.

Seconds later, a he was drawing himself into the maw of a large incision cut into the body of his new host. He reached forward and took the digimental from his host's paralyzed hands. The host growled at first but then, it seemed to understand the enhancement he could do to it and accepted his presence as a gift.

"This may not be so bad…" chuckled the creature as it gently rubbed its belly. A dark aura swept over the large X on the host's stomach and the wound closed only leaving a faded scar behind. "Now where is that apprentice of mine…" The metal creature grumbled and heat streamed to its back, "SUKAMON!"

888

"Whamon is a whale?" Ren gulped as she looked at the large, blue mammal as it floated in the harbor below.

"It makes sense; doesn't it?" returned Kisho. He looked down at the whale and then in a sudden burst of realization, "Wait we're going over the ocean?"

"Yes, it's the fastest way. Blimpmon and I have to go to other places and do work; so Whamon will transport you," replied Gennai as Blimpmon lowered down, "Is that a problem?"

"Well…" Kisho gulped quietly, "I get…seasick…"

"No you don't," laughed Taku loudly, "You didn't back at Lake Mihirashi…"

"That was a lake…that's different," Kisho retorted in aggravation. "It must be the smell of salt in the air…but I just can't do it…without tossing my cookies all over everything."

"Why would you toss your cookies?" DORUmon asked, looking up at his partner.

"It's a figure of speech," explained Ren. She looked at DORUmon, "He means he'll puke all over everything…"

"I'm not sitting next to him!" announced DemiDevimon, which got him an elbow from Taku.

"I wouldn't worry; it's a calm sea tonight," replied Gennai as Blimpmon touched down. Gennai slid down from the large blimp's balloon and called the children to follow him. Gennai ran to the sea as the children slid down, "Whamon! How are you, friend?"

"Oh, Gennai, I'm fine, fine..." called the whale as he slid up on the beach.

"Children, hurry now, we don't want the tags and crests to fall in the wrong hands," called Gennai as the children wandered toward the water. "Now, get in…"

"Wait, this whale is going to eat us?" Taku stopped dead in his tracks.

"Not eat…just ingest!" huffed the whale loudly, "Trust me, you don't taste good!"

"How would you know?" yelped the children as they looked at the whale skeptically.

"Whamon, behave!" Gennai grumbled. "Now, it will be perfectly fine…"

"Yeah, you can help get that piece of fish out of my back molar…sometimes it's no fun not having hands to use toothpicks…" grunted Whamon as he opened his gaping maw.

"Get in, get in!" Gennai pushed the children forward. "Oh, wait!" Gennai searched his robes and pulled out small, ivory rocks. "Take these, they will help you find the tags and crests…They will take the spirit energy in you and use it to search out the tag and crest that belongs with you."

Gennai put one stone in each of the children's hands and then pushed forward. The children and their partners staggered into the mouth of the whale. Gennai waved as the mouth closed.

"Hey, can't we ride on top!" shouted Haru loudly as he ran towards the closing mouth.

"Ugh…what's that smell?" Jiro coughed as he walked around the pallet of the whale.

"Sorry…" rumbled the voice of Whamon, "I had a bit of a snack before I got here...so if anything in here smells fishy…it's probably me…"

The floor of the whale's mouth shook. There was a tug to left, and then things smoothed out. The darkness in the cavernous mouth lit up. The children looked around. Kisho was sitting on the ground holding his knees; DORUmon was curled up in front of him. Haru was standing and looking for the source of the light; Guilmon was next to him. Taku and DemiDevimon were grumbling off on the periphery of the shadows. Ren and Renamon were looking around; Ren finally walked to Kisho's side with Renamon quietly in tow. Jiro was holding Botamon quietly. The black jiggling ball was cooing quietly in the boy's arms. Jiro sat down on the ground and looked up at the arching roof of Whamon's mouth.

"Whamon…how far is it to Setup Island?" asked Haru as looked around.

"We'll be there by morning, if nothing horrible happens…" replied the voice of Whamon. "By the way, did Gennai explain my payment plan?"

"What?" Haru looked up in shock.

"I'm only kidding," chuckled Whamon. "We'll be in open water in about five minutes…So it won't be long. You can just lie down and go to sleep. I promise I won't accidentally swallow you."

"That's real reassuring," grumbled Taku quietly.

"Well, you could always get out and swim," Haru snorted as he sat down and looked over at Taku.

888

"They are leaving the island…" hissed a gargling voice. "We won't allow Lord Baronmon's murder to go unpunished."

Four digimon hovered in front of the speaker. The right most digimon was a large, deep blue, manta ray. The inner right digimon was an armored seahorse with bluish wings and a blow horn snout. The inner left digimon was a grayish submarine with a saw snout. A large, armored shark hovered silently on the left side of the lineup slowly sweeping its tail back and forth. The four digimon were holding their position in the undersea castle that formed Armored Command's Naval Headquarters.

Sitting in a jagged, coral throne was the commander of Baronmon's Navy. He was a blue, armored mer-mon. His humanoid body was covered in sea colored armor and his gray tail swept behind him as he glided from his throne. His clawed hands were heavily webbed.

"They are being transported, Depthmon, sir," replied the seahorse.

"Then we shall destroy both them and the defector," replied the mermaid-like digimon as he glided past the line of sea digimon.

"Shall we call on help from the remaining Pteranomon forces, Depthmon, sir?" asked the shark as he turned.

"No," mused Depthmon as he turned to his underlings, "No, Tylomon, we should definitely work to defeat the digi-destined alone. After all, with Baronmon gone, File Island is in turmoil…ripe for the picking."

"You don't think we can handle controlling the island, do you, Depthmon, sir?" asked the submarine in surprise as he swiveled around.

"We don't need to control the island directly, Submarimon," replied Depthmon coyly as he looked at his generals.

"So what do you mean, Depthmon, sir?" asked the sea horse.

"Seahomon, we only need to control the water around the island, and we can force anyone in charge of the island to acquiesce to our demands…" Depthmon chuckled as he interlinked his clawed hands. "And our first show of power will be the destruction of the digi-destined. We shall strike after they enter open water; isolating them from any assistance from the island…they won't know what happened to them!"

888

Kisho looked up at the stone in his hand. "I don't know about this," He looked over to DORUmon who was lying next to him. "Maybe we should've asked him to go home…"

"But…what about our world?" the grayish lavender fox murmured as he looked up. "We need you; you're the only ones that can do this."

"I know…it's just the others…aren't really liking the idea," Kisho looked across the whale.

Ren was sitting looking out into space. Renamon was sitting next to the girl. Haru was lying on the ground with Guilmon lying next to him, with his head on Haru's lap. Taku was somewhere in the shadows by the large teeth of the whale; every few minutes DemiDevimon's wings would flutter into the light but other than that the two were nearly invisible. Jiro was sleeping soundly on the pallet of the whale's mouth; Botamon was snoozing quietly in his arms.

"They'll come around…" whispered DORUmon, "It will be a lot easier when we get the tags and crests."

"Will it?" Kisho sighed as he looked up at the large, ribbed roof of Whamon's mouth. "I mean we are riding in the mouth of a whale…though I have to admit, its pretty dry in here…not even slobbery"

"Once you get used to the fish smell, it's not so bad…" DORUmon said as he looked around, "I mean it's even pretty smooth."

"That's because we're underwater," murmured Whamon's voice. "We've been underwater since we've exited the coral reef…it's smoother and faster than traveling on the surface."

"We're…under…water…" DORUmon gulped loudly. "I…don't…"

"Don't worry, Whamon is pretty big, it would take a lot to sink him I bet!" said Kisho as he patted DORUmon's head. "I mean it's not like Whamon's going to spring a leak or anything…"

Kisho instantly regretted saying that, because, suddenly Whamon wretched upward. The children and their digimon were sent crashing around the whale's mouth. Just as they settled the whale was seemingly tossed again and threw the children around.

"Hey! What are you trying to do, chew us up?" shouted Taku loudly as he and DemiDevimon rolled against a tooth.

"Sorry," groaned the whale, "but I think we have company…"

"Company?" Haru looked around the whale as the massive sea mammal jolted again. "I knew something would happen; why can't we ever have a peaceful day?"

"Uh oh…" grumbled the whale as jerked to a stop.

"What?" the children yelped.

"They played the old, herd the prey into a trap, trick…" Whamon replied.

"Let us help, we can break this blockade!" shouted Kisho loudly.

Haru swatted the back of Kisho's head. "How are we going to get out, to fight them? If he opens his mouth we'll drown!"

"Oh…guess I hadn't thought of that…" Kisho rubbed the back of his head.

"Can you surface?" Taku called out.

"They have me covered…" replied the whale. "I'm going to have to do this the old fashion way…with good ol' Whamon muscle…I just hope my liability insurance covers it…Hold on tight, we're going to be experiencing a little turbulence!"

The children held onto the nearby teeth as Whamon thrust forward jarring the floor of his mouth as he charged. The whale shook hard as the sounds of explosions rumbled through his thick skin.

"Whamon are you ok?" shouted Ren loudly.

"I can't shake them…they're too fast…I've only one chance," Suddenly the floor of Whamon's mouth tilted downward causing the children to fall to the front of his mouth.

"My ears!" whimpered Jiro as he grabbed the little appendages on the sides of his head. Botamon started to cry.

"The pressure…he must be diving…" growled Haru as he held his ears. "Everyone you have to try to yawn…if that doesn't work…try to act like your chewing gum."

"Where are you taking us?" growled Taku. He tried to yawn but instead he let out a loud belch. "Oo…that was a good one…"

"TAKU!" yelped Ren loudly.

"I was trying to yawn, I can't help it!" shouted Taku back.

"An emergency is no reason to forego decency!" Ren tutted, as she whimpered and held her ears.

""Still was a good one…" growled Taku's reply.

"Guys!" Kisho chimed in, "Now's not the time!"

"We have to try and help Whamon," growled Renamon as she shook her head. "If only to get the pressure out of our heads…"

"How?" grumbled DORUmon as he looked at the fox.

"Guys…shh…" whispered Whamon quietly. As the others had argued the whale's movements had become much smoother, "Let's just wait here…for a few seconds…but you have to be quiet…very quiet…"

888

"Where'd he go?" growled Submarimon as the large, gray and lavender digimon whirred through the water.

"He can't have gone far…he's not that fast," growled Tylomon as the shark cut through the water.

"I can't see him…" growled Seahomon. The seahorse hovered in the water. "He has to have dove deeper down…"

"Then that leaves him to me, and Depthmon," a large manta ray glided through the water and started to slide downward into the dark depths, "We'll get him to come up, and then you clobber him…"

"Where is Depthmon, anyways?" Submarimon looked around.

"Probably surveying the ocean floor…" replied Seahomon the seahorse watched as the long spiked tail of Mantaraymon disappeared into the darkness below. "They better be careful, that Whamon is just big enough to be able to crush them…"

888

Depthmon's visor was bringing in the sonar reports from his armor's built in sensor grid. There was nothing to be seen. The whale was probably trying to hide on the ocean floor, using the eternal darkness to cloak his massive bulk. Depthmon had to give the whale credit; he wasn't as stupid as he looked.

Depthmon's head jerked upwards suddenly. A contact suddenly leapt to his attention. It took a second for him to identify the diving figure as that of his companion Mantaraymon. Depthmon grumbled slightly and continued to slowly slide along the sea floor.

He was on the edge of the Benthic Zone, the whale had taken a dive into the depths, and Depthmon planned to follow. The Benthic Zone was an area that was littered with crags and hydrothermal vents and infant mountains, that would, one day, be islands. He stopped every few meters to send high intensity sonar pings to get a clearer and more detailed look at his surroundings. There were a number of old vents and protuberances, ahead of him, that told him that this part of the digital world had been over tectonic hotspot recently, but was now unlikely to grow further upward.

Mantaraymon was sweeping over some of the peaks. Depthmon snorted slightly to himself. The fish was good in the water, and even decent in a limited sense in the air, but he was not very bright. Depthmon half guessed that the fish was expecting Whamon to spook into his crosshairs. Depthmon smirked slightly. Whamon was better than that, he'd let Mantaraymon glide centimeters over him without twitching, he had to be driven into activity. Depthmon pinged again and the ocean floor flared brightly as the sound waves were converted into visual impulses. Depthmon stopped. Something was making a noise. Depthmon cupped his hands behind his ears. He could hear it; something was crying forty meters to his right, two point six meters down. Depthmon chuckled quietly and shot towards the sound, attracted to it like an iron spike was attracted to a magnet.

888

"Can't you shut that thing up!" shouted Taku loudly as he glared at Botamon.

"I can't help it!" whimpered Jiro as he hugged the baby digimon close trying to muffle the cries into his shirt. "His ears won't pop…"

"He's going to give us away!" Taku shouted, "Shut him up!"

"It's probably too late, Taku," snarled Haru loudly, "You've probably woke the entire ocean up with your screaming!"

"Can't you guys stop fighting…" whimpered Ren quietly.

"Shut up!" shouted Taku and Haru in unison.

Ren sniffled and started to cry loudly as the two boys shouted at each other. Kisho looked up impotently at the rabble. His eyes twitched. He clenched his fists.

"You're idiot brother's the one that started it!" shouted Taku as he grabbed Haru's shirt.

"Your yelling at him won't make anything better!" retorted Haru as he grabbed Taku's arms. "Get off me!"

"You're not the boss of me!" shouted Taku as he lifted his fist.

"Stop it!" Kisho pushed between the two boys and tossed them to the ground. "Neither of you are helping! So shut up, both of you!" Ren continued to cry as she looked at the scene. Kisho looked at the ground, his eyes hidden by his bangs, "Ren, stop crying, you're not hurt, everything will be fine, just stop crying…"

"Kisho…" sniffled Ren as she looked at the boy.

"Just stop it," Kisho growled softly as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "You need to grow up a little…so stop crying…you're fine." Kisho looked up and his cutting glance sliced up to the roof of Whamon's mouth, "Whamon, take us to the surface, we're useless down here…"

"But…" Whamon started to say. "Never mind, we got an incoming at six twenty…We're going to the surface, you may feel a little off…"

"Just get going before they start shooting!" snapped Kisho loudly.

The whale rumbled slightly as it started to move. The inside of the whale tilted upward and the children grabbed onto the closest stable thing, each of them looking at Kisho who had somehow planted his feet in to keep him from falling backward.

"Kisho," Jiro looked up at the boy, "I'm sorry about Botamon…"

"Don't worry about it," Kisho smiled softly, "He's just a baby, he couldn't help it…" His eyes narrowed and sliced around to Haru, Taku and Ren, "Unlike some others…"

"We're going to make it!" cheered Whamon. "There's no one up there!"

"Just keep going! Don't slow down!" Kisho replied as a soft throb pulsed behind his eyes.

"Not far now!" shouted Whamon. Suddenly he jolted to a stop. "Uh oh…"

"What's wrong?" Kisho yelped as he staggered backward.

"Something's got me tied up…" growled Whamon as he started to thrash. "I can't break through!"

"How far are we from the surface?" Kisho asked quickly.

"Only a meter from the surface I can see the stars!" growled Whamon loudly, "But this thing has me firm! I can't…move…"

"Whamon, talk to me. What's going on?" Kisho asked as he struggled forward.

"Don't know…I feel…so…tired…all of a sudden…" groaned the whale. "Like…someone has taken all…my strength…"

"Only a meter from the surface..." Haru whispered quietly, "That may be close enough, the water pressure wouldn't be so high, if we held on tight…"

"We could get our digimon out and they could digivolve before were swept away!" yelped Ren suddenly.

"We're going to have to do it fast, if Whamon's losing his strength…" Taku looked at the others.

"He'll be pulled back," Kisho agreed. "Whamon, I need you to open you mouth when I tell you too, do you understand?"

"Yes…" murmured Whamon quietly.

Kisho ran to a tooth, "Ok, everyone grab on tight!"

"Kisho…I can't swim!" whimpered DORUmon.

"Don't worry, I can," Renamon said. "I'll take you."

"Ok, Whamon…open 'er up!" shouted Kisho loudly.

The whale yawned opening his mouth. Water rushed hip deep past them as their digimon, except Botamon, leapt out of the mouth. The digivices whirred to life and the digimon glowed as they grew and turned into their Champion forms. Raptordramon and DORUgamon hovered in the air. ExVeemon and Ebidramon dove into the water. Whamon slowly shut his mouth closing off the rush of water.

"I hope they are ok out there…" Ren said as she looked at the closed opening.

888

"We have them on the run!" cheered Submarimon as he fired two oxygen filled torpedoes toward the whale. Large vines of Depthmon's draining seaweed held the whale by the tail.

Tylomon shot past the submarine and fired two torpedoes of his own. The whale's thrashing flippers slapped the projectiles away from the sea mammal's body before they detonated.

"We have a problem…" shouted Seahomon loudly as he swam upward. Two figures dropped into the water. "The Digi-destined!"

"Twin Neptune!" the water erupted as pulses slammed into Submarimon. A large lobster was rushing towards the three armored digimon.

In the distance, Mantaraymon engaged a dragon. The gray dragon crushed its fist into the back of the ray. Mantaraymon slapped its tail upward sending a small shock through the dragon. The winged digimon retreated back to the surface, with Mantaraymon in pursuit.

Submarimon disappeared in a loud explosion of data. Tylomon and Seahomon instantly retreated as the large crustacean swirled around. Seconds later the vines holding Whamon were snipped by the lobster's claws. The whale instantly surfaced, took a breath and then dove downward.

Tylomon charged the whale and fired torpedoes at the massive sea beast. The torpedoes only bounced off Whamon's tough skin. A swirl of water appeared at the front of the whale and then a strong jet of ocean slammed into Tylomon. The prehistoric shark writhed as it was forced backward. Seahomon dove at the whale; its snout glowed and then fired forward releasing a twisting rainbow of light into the side of Whamon. The whale swerved sharply and dove away from the twisting beam of color. Seahomon chuckled and pressed his attack on the whale, blindly firing bursts of color into the back of Whamon, so blindly that he didn't see the large lobster rise up behind him and slam a glowing claw into back of his head, deleting the seahorse.

Tylomon growled softly as the whale and the lobster turned on him. They were stronger than Tylomon had thought.

"Bubble Bombs!" hundreds of exploding bubbles swarmed the two digimon, as Depthmon rose from the shadows below. Tylomon smirked as his commander took a place next to him. Depthmon turned his head slightly, "The Ebidramon is tougher than we expected…"

"It is," agreed Tylomon as the water settled in front of them.

"Twin Neptune!" growled the lobster as blue bursts of energy shot forward.

Depthmon and Tylomon dropped out of the way of the energy bursts. Depthmon flicked his hand up revealing a large, jagged knife. Depthmon threw the dagger forward. And it caught in the armor of Ebidramon. The lobster snorted as Tylomon charged down from above slicing his bladed fins across the crustacean's armored body. The Ebidramon roared and then rolled downward. Whamon charged through the water, thrusting his thick head towards Depthmon, but the smaller digimon was more agile and easily slipped out of Whamon's way.

In the background, Ebidramon was twisting around to clamp her claws around Tylomon's closing fins. The fish and the lobster twirled in the water as Ebidramon wrestled with the shark's blade-like fins. Whamon was sloshing around trying to smack Depthmon with his tail, but the smaller mer-mon dove in and out of the whale's tail.

"Lobster Step!" roared the Ebidramon as it drove one of its claws into Tylomon's soft underbelly. The shark groaned loudly, before it sank into the depths.

Depthmon frowned as another one of his minions disappeared. Whamon charged again forcing Depthmon to dive out of the way. Pulses of energy flashed over Depthmon's shoulder. Depthmon reeled back instantly to escape the attack, only to get his back smashed by a jet of water. Depthmon groaned loudly and turned. Ebidramon's claws were closing in on his body.

"Bubble Bombs!" Depthmon shouted in desperation, as he launched the bubble mines down on the lobster.

The crustacean retreated as the bombs exploded, but it wasn't enough to save Depthmon from Whamon's crushing charge. The whale raged through the explosions and slammed his hard head into the body of Depthmon. The armored digimon struggled as Whamon pushed Depthmon against a large, rock, pillar. Depthmon was squished into dust.

888

"Torpedo Ray!" growled a large, blue manta ray, as a streak of energy sliced through the air.

There were three of them above the surface. ExVeemon hovered the highest. He tried to catch his breath from his earlier attack of Mantaraymon while the large fish was underwater. DORUgamon and Raptordramon were hovering between ExVeemon and Mantaraymon. The large ray flapped its large flat, wings and took flight.

"It's three on one, give up!" growled the cyborg dragon. "Don't make us hurt you!"

Mantaraymon hovered in the air; he looked at the three digimon and then snorted. His mandibles charged with energy, but he never got a chance to strike. A cross of golden energy shot from ExVeemon's chest. Mantaraymon squealed loudly as his body burned into dust.

"ExVeemon!" DORUgamon and Raptordramon chastised.

"Don't start, he was going to attack…" growled ExVeemon preemptively. "It's best to have put an end to it before it started."

"What about the others?" DORUgamon asked, as he looked down.

"I think Whamon and Ebidramon have it well under control, these water digimon don't seem excessively tough, at least not nearly as tough as Baronmon…" replied ExVeemon as he glided over the water. He narrowed his eyes and pointed, "See, here they come!"

Two large shadows formed in the water below. One was definitely Whamon, the sheer mass of the shadow gave him away. The other was smaller, but it had two large forearms. It only took a few minutes but finally Whamon breached the surface. Ebidramon was next to him. A scratch slashed across the lobster's armor, and burn marks crisscrossed the whale's back.

"Are you guys ok?" growled Raptordramon as he hovered above them.

"We're fine, we got rid of the riffraff," announced Whamon as he opened his mouth. The children were all piled up in a huge clump. They were struggling to free themselves.

"Never…Ever…going to do that again!" shouted Taku as he pulled himself from the others.

"What did you guys do?" yelped Haru, "did you need to be so…rough?"

"Yes…" replied Ebidramon as she turned. She reverted to Renamon as she climbed into Whamon's mouth.

Raptordramon looked up at the large, full moon, "We should hurry, if we want to get there by morning…" The dragon lowered down and then fizzled quietly and dropped into Whamon's mouth as Guilmon.

ExVeemon and DORUgamon followed suit as they touched down.

DORUmon shook his head quietly, "that took more energy than it should've, maybe Guilmon and I shouldn't have digivolved…the others had it under control…"

"We'll worry about it later," yawned Kisho. He smiled and looked at the others. "Let's all just go to sleep, and get some rest, tomorrow the search for the tags and crests starts!"

Whamon chuckled quietly as he closed his mouth, "Well, I'll try not to be too rough, and hopefully, we won't hit anymore turbulence tonight…"

The whale disappeared quietly under the moonlit waves, whilst within the whale five children and five digimon curled up and started to sleep.

**888**

**The start of the next arc has…well…started. **

**Blue: I'm glad you didn't see Magnamon coming. And as to your predictions, sorta kinda close, but not really, though I did kind of think about doing one, I decided for another idea. **

**Dark: Thanks I'm still glad your, liking it. **


	19. All Ashore

**I don't own digimon, or Mozart's _Requiem_**

**All Ashore **

**888**

"Thanks, Whamon!" Kisho waved energetically at the receding sea mammal.

"No problem! I'll be back in about four days to check on you guys!" the whale turned and called back. The whale spouted and then disappeared under the water.

"Well, that's over," Taku whispered as he turned from the ocean, "It was the most disgusting thing ever…"

"Don't get picky, we'll have to use him again to get off this island," Haru said roughly as he dug in his pockets. "We should get looking for these tags and crests thingies soon, Whamon said he'd be back in four days…"

"The faster we have these tags and crests the faster we can get off this island, too," noted Ren quietly as she looked at Renamon. The fox was looking around warily, with the nervous gaze of a ground squirrel living under a hawk's nest.

"There is a lot of bad energy on this island…" Renamon replied as she slowly walked forward. "It's like he's reaching out and grasping at us…."

"Who is?" asked Guilmon as he looked around.

"Him…" Renamon growled as she hugged herself.

"Oh, Lucemon," chimed Guilmon loudly. The other digimon glared at the red and black dragon and shuddered. "Oops…I did it again…"

"Don't worry about that now…" Kisho whispered as he held out his hand. It held the small, ivory rock Gennai had given them, though now a blue arrow was on the stone's surface and it was pointed down the coast. "The stone…I think we are about to find our first tag and crest…"

"It's down the coast, to the east…" whispered DORUmon as the gray, kangaroo-fox lifted his head and looked at the craggy rocks to the east.

"My rock isn't reacting…" Taku grumbled as he looked at his white stone. He shook it, "Nope…"

"Then that means that the tags and crests must have dispersed over the island," Haru sighed as he looked around. "At least this island seems small…"

"I wonder how big it is…" Jiro said as he slowly turned.

"It depends on what day you're here…" Haru replied as he looked up at the smoking top of a mountain that filled the sky above the middle of the island.

"Huh?" Ren looked up at the blonde haired boy. "What do you mean?"

"The mountain here is still volcanic. Whenever it goes off, the island will get bigger," Haru said in quiet concern.

"Then I can't think of a better reason to get the tags and crests, as fast as possible," Kisho said. The brunette was trudging down the coast toward the lines of craggy rocks, in the distance. "Come on, let's go, maybe the other tags and crests will be close by."

"He has a point," DemiDevimon as he hovered around the head of Taku, "The faster we get them, the faster we go, and the sooner we don't become chestnuts in this island's roasting fire."

"Heh," Haru looked up at DemiDevimon, "that was funny…"

"I don't get it…" Ren looked at Haru.

"It's a part of a Christmas song…" Haru replied as he followed Kisho, "My dad sang it when he was home…at Christmas."

"Oh…" Ren looked at Taku and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's just a thing..."

"Yeah…a thing," Haru returned as he ran up the beach.

"Don't worry," Jiro looked up at the other two children, "Haru, sometimes, is a little…nervous about…Father. Because…well, he's different…"

"Because he's American?" Taku asked. Jiro nodded quietly.

"I don't understand?" Renamon whispered to Ren as she looked at Jiro, "American…what is that? Are they not well?"

"Depends on who you talk to," snorted Taku quietly. "Let's just say, where, we're from, it's not always exactly ideal to have a non-Japanese parent…"

"Japanese?" DemiDevimon landed gently on Taku's head. "You're Japanese, right?"

Taku nodded subtly, "Yes, the country where I'm from is called Japan…"

"And Jiro and Haru aren't Japanese?" Renamon thought aloud.

"It's not that simple," Taku explained.

"My Momma is Japanese, but Papa is not…he's from America," Jiro said with a smile. "Momma and Papa said it doesn't matter as long as they love each other and us…"

"Don't be silly, it makes a difference," Ren whispered quietly. Taku and Jiro stopped and looked at her.

"You can't tell me…" Taku looked at the girl with shocked, wide eyes and opened mouth.

"It's true!" Ren retorted loudly. "Papa says it's not right…he…doesn't hire…well…he's very particular…"

"He's very wrong," Taku snorted as he continued forward, "Don't listen to her, Jiro, her dad's ideals are a bit, crazy…"

"Don't talk about my dad like that!" Ren narrowed her eyes, "You don't know him; you have no right…"

Taku only waved his hand in dismissal as he continued up the beach, "Ren, you need to think it through…that's all I'm going to say."

Jiro ran after the boy, carrying Botamon tightly in his arms.

"Ren, are you ok?" Renamon looked at the brown haired girl.

"I'm fine," Ren whispered as she started to walk forward. "Taku's just being a jerk…"

Renamon narrowed her eyes slightly, "If you say so, Ren."

"Don't worry, Ren," Jiro called back to her, "I still think you're nice!"

Ren closed her eyes and clenched her hands and then walked on.

888

"You were right," said a yellow digimon, his head was twisted into a yellow swirl and long, yellow arms extended into thin hands with long yellow fingers. He bounded into the small bamboo hut. "They are on the island, how did you know?"

"I have contacts on the outside, Sukamon," replied a metallic armored man. He was wearing a long, heavy robe. There was a hole in its back to accommodate a smoking, volcanic hump. "Now, how to deal with them…"

"They are still on the beach, they've been walking towards the sea caves towards the eastern side of the island," replied the yellow digimon as he bounced in front of the metal, volcanic digimon, "Master Volcamon, you could just let them do themselves in. You know that the eastern sea caves are…most treacherous."

"No, Sukamon, that would not do," murmured the metal digimon as he placed his fingers to his chin and gently stroked it, "No, we should do something ourselves. We also need to find out why they are here…incase more come. Maybe I should bowl them over with a performance…Yes, indeed, that would be perfect, it's almost been too long since I've had a captive audience…"

"You always have me!" Sukamon replied with a cheer.

"Bah, you're an apprentice," The metal digimon stood up letting the robe slide off his shoulders. "No, this is indeed a special event…" The metal digimon crossed the small hut and pulled at the doors of a boudoir. He pulled out a small folder and rifled through them, "Mmm, which one…which one…Ah…one of my favorites…yes…and this one, Sukamon, go get my microphone!"

"Yes, Master Volcamon! Immediately!" Sukamon giggled as he bounded away.

"Yes, indeed this will just, bring them to their knees," chuckled the metal digimon as he looked down at the sheet music.

888

"It's around here, I know it," grumbled Kisho as the arrow on the stone veered sharply back and forth.

"Or, it's broken," Taku chimed in quickly.

"It's not broken!" growled Haru as he scrambled up the rocks.

"How do you know?" Taku spat back.

"I just do," Haru snorted as he looked down from the top of the rocks, "Huh, over this hill there is a little inlet that goes into this cave…"

"Hey…" Kisho hopped up the rocks and held out his stone, "It's…stabilizing." The arrow wavered and then pointed towards the cave. "It must be in there…"

"A cave?" whimpered Ren quietly, "Why can't these things ever be somewhere nice, like a small Parisian café, or…a flower garden?"

"Because we're not in Paris, and this soil wouldn't support high densities of flowering plants," replied Haru quietly as he looked down at the frothing waters of the inlet.

"Oh be quiet, you know what I mean!" Ren retorted loudly.

"He has a point, this soil is crap," Taku said quietly, "Or are you too blinded to see that…"

"Taku shut it," growled Ren as she glared up at the black haired boy.

"Woah…Taku defending Haru…and Ren being aggressive…" DORUmon looked up at Kisho, "I guess Gennai was right when he thought this world was going down the tubes…I think we just saw the beginning of the apocalypse…."

"Oh bah, I've defended Haru's positions before," snorted Taku as he climbed the rocks. "Just not out loud."

Ren only glared at DORUmon and then folder her arms angrily over her chest.

"Not now, guys!" Kisho shouted, "Can't we just get through things without arguing this once…"

"Not likely," Haru replied quietly, "Let's face it, we're hardly a gold medal winning team here…"

"It doesn't mean we can't be," Jiro piped as he rubbed Botamon, as the little black, bundle cooed.

"Jiro, not now…we're busy trying to…" Haru sighed and squatted down. "Build a plan of action…"

"Ren, something is coming…" Renamon turned and glared up the beach.

"What?" Haru and the other boys on top of the rock pile looked in the direction Renamon was.

"Digimon…" whispered DORUmon quietly.

"A big one…" DemiDevimon nodded.

"It smells like…poop?" Guilmon tilted his head and sniffed again, "and…sulfur…"

"Poop and sulfur…this is going to be just wonderful isn't it?" Taku frowned, as he squinted. He pointed, "There!"

Two figures approached. One was tall and humanoid, the other was short, and looked like yellow dollop of something. Kisho skidded down the rock pile to the side of Ren.

"Ahoy there!" Kisho waved his hand high in the air.

The two digimon continued to move forward until they were only a few meters away. One was a metal cyborg, with a large, hump on its back. The other was nothing but a yellow dollop with long arms.

"Hello, digi-destined," said the cyborg congenially.

"You know who we are?" The children looked at each other in apprehension.

"Of course I do, I've been waiting for your arrival for a while," replied the metal digimon quietly.

"How?" Taku growled as he glared at the metal digimon.

"I have my ways," replied the metal digimon. "Now, I have come here to entertain you…"

The children looked at each other skeptically.

"Don't you know who is in front of you!" growled the dollop, "This is the greatest concert singer in the Digital World, Maestro Volcamon!"

"Never heard of him," replied the children.

"Don't worry, Sukamon," soothed the cyborg quietly, "I'll show them my musical talents…"

"I don't like this," growled Renamon. The golden hairs on her body bristled, "There is a horrible aura surrounding that digimon…"

"Who are you really?" growled Taku as he looked at the digimon. "Tell us!"

Volcamon's eyes flared a bright red, "I don't think ssssuch introductionssss are needed…"

"Arkadimon…" hissed Haru as he looked up at the red flares set in Volcamon's eye sockets.

The red glow faded. "Now…will you listen to my song?"

"How about you listen to us!" growled Taku as he held up his digivice.

DemiDevimon glided forward. "DemiDevimon, digivolve to ExVeemon!"

"Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!" the red dragon glowed before growing into a large cybernetic dinosaur.

"Not bad, but I dislike your lyrics…try this one on for size!" chuckled Volcamon as he lifted a microphone to his mouth. His voice thundered forward in a slowly rolling push, "Requiem aeternum dona eis, Domine!" The first wave of sound that vibrated from the microphone slammed the digi-destined and their digimon backward. "Et lux perpetua luceat eis!" The second wave pressed the digimon like grapes, and the children dropped to their knees. "Te decet, hymnus, Deus, in Sion…." ExVeemon and Raptordramon shimmered as they slid to the ground as DemiDevimon and Guilmon.

"Mozart's…_Requiem_ was never meant to be used like this…" gritted Haru through his teeth. "We have to get out of here, who knows what the rest of the song will do!"

"Come on…" Kisho grabbed DORUmon by the hand and dragged him over the wall of stones.

The children slowly trudged up the rocks as Volcamon continued to push his voice forward, sending it rising up as the song grew in speed and force. The rocks vibrated under the children's feet as they scaled the hill.

"Tuba mirum spargens sonum," Volcamon's deep bass voice rolled like the waves. "per sepulcra regionum."

The children slid down the other side of the rock pile and into the sweeping water of the inlet on the opposite side. Their ears were covered and they ran into the cave with their digimon staggering after them. As Volcamon's voice receded and faded as the children pushed deeper into the cave, the children released their ears.

"His voice…beat us…" groaned DemiDevimon as the little bat tried to glide forward.

"He's much more powerful than Baronmon," groaned Ren as she looked back at the dim circle of light behind them.

"And we couldn't even face Baronmon until Magnamon came," Taku growled under his breath.

"But we do have one thing going for us…" Kisho looked at his hand; a soft blue glow filtered through his fingers. "We have the tags and crests. It's close, I can feel it…"

"That's just great and all, but that still doesn't change the fact he just blew our digimon away with one line of song," Haru said in reply, "Even if we could get the crests to work what makes you think Volcamon will let us?"

"I hadn't thought about that…" Kisho narrowed his eyes. "Somehow, we have to…"

"There's a fork in the cave…" Jiro pointed forward, "which way?"

"Left," Kisho looked at the stone in his hand. "Definitely left."

The children nodded together and started down the left cavern. Their skin prickled slightly as the air suddenly chilled. The digimon looked at each other.

"It's getting colder…" said Haru as he looked forward in the dark. "And I can't see anything…"

"Just keep going forward," Renamon's voice said as it past by him, "There is nothing here to see…"

"I'd still like to know where we're going…" Haru snorted quietly as he sloshed through the water.

"No…you don't," DemiDevimon's voice slipped past his right ear. "It's best we not be here at all…"

"Ok, where are we?" Taku stopped. "I'm not moving till we're told!"

"We're in a cave," replied DORUmon's voice.

"That's not why you guys are freaking out, what is it?" Taku growled again.

"I smell…something," Guilmon said quietly, "It smells like…Seadramon…"

"Guilmon!" growled Renamon. "Don't say anything more!"

"Too late," Kisho sloshed as he turned, "What are Seadramon? And why is it bad we're in a cave that smells like them?"

"Seadramon are very, wild digimon, they usually get their eggs away from Primary Village and bring them to little flooded sea caves like this to rear their young…" DORUmon explained quietly.

"And when they do, they do so with ruthless and deadly consequences for anyone that has stumbled into their hatchery," Renamon growled softly.

"Oh…" Kisho gulped quietly and tried to look around.

"Don't worry, they aren't in yet…I don't think they are anyways," whispered Guilmon. "They may be out feeding, if we hurry we can get out of here before they return!"

"Bota…" murmured the baby in Jiro's arms.

"Botamon, is something wrong?" Jiro started to fumble the baby as it shook and fidgeted.

"Bota…bota…bota!" the baby started to scream. A bright light engulfed the baby. "BotaAAAAAA!" The light flashed brightly and then there was silence.

"Botamon?" Jiro felt a weight in his arms. "You've gotten heavy…"

"I…digivolved…" replied a new voice.

The other digimon gasped quietly and spun around.

"Botamon digivolved," whispered Guilmon as the dragon walked forward and sniffed the digimon in Jiro's arms. "Hi, Koromon!"

"Digi-destined, you ran from my concert!" called the voice of Volcamon. The children tensed up.

"We have to get out of here," hissed Haru in the darkness.

"Duh," Taku snorted, "You want to be the one to run interference against that metal thing?"

"Not now, guys," Kisho hissed, "now, we can just keep going this way…"

"And the Seadramon?" Haru looked up.

"Don't worry about that, we have more important things to worry about," Kisho squinted into the darkness, "Let's go before he gets here…"

They sloshed and squished in their shoes as they splashed through the trapped sea water. Suddenly a faint light shimmered across the water's surface. The children and their digimons' shapes became visible as they pushed forward and ended up in a large chamber. It lifted up onto a small limestone shelf. The ceiling of the chamber had a large hole in the center.

"Well, there's a way out…" Haru visored his eyes with his hand as he looked up at the light.

"Too bad none of us can digivolve…now," chirped the pink bundle in Jiro's hand.

"My, you really did digivolve," gasped Ren as she looked at the round digimon with small, ribbon-like ears.

"Yep, I'm Koromon," smiled the little round digimon.

"Are you sure you can't digivolve?" Kisho was looking down at DORUmon.

"Nope, Volcamon really drained me," DORUmon sighed quietly, "and I wasn't even the target of his attack."

"Look at these…" Haru was walking around large mounds in the sandstone. "Are these eggs?"

"Yes, digi-eggs…" Renamon narrowed her eyes, "If those Seadramon come back…"

"She's right," Taku looked up at Kisho, "Where's this tag and crest?"

"Uh…" Kisho held up the stone. The arrow on its surface wavered left and right and then centered on the mounds. "Amongst those eggs…"

"Figures…" growled Renamon as she looked around, "I don't see anything out of sorts…"

Kisho ran over to the egg mounds, and kneeled down and started to work at the mounds lifting the eggs, "Maybe…they are…underneath one of these eggs…"

Kisho lifted one of the eggs. It shook hard in his hands. The others looked at him. Kisho gulped loudly as the egg cracked. Seconds later, it exploded in Kisho's hands and a ball of hair was looking up at him.

"Yura, Yura!" whimpered the baby as it looked up at Kisho. "Yura! Yura!"

"Ah…" Kisho looked back at the others.

"That's Yuramon….it's the baby form of what will be Seadramon," Renamon looked at the ball of hair and narrowed her eyes, "We must get out of here…"

"We will, we will!" Kisho looked down at the mound the baby's egg was in. His eyes widened in surprise, "I think we just found what we're looking for!"

Kisho reached down and picked up a pendant on a small nylon-like rope. The pendant's window revealed a small crest inside it. The crest was blue, with the shape of a small hurricane or galaxy with a jagged line down its center.

"You still don't look too intimidating…" chuckled a voice from the entrance of the chamber. Everyone spun around. Volcamon was leaning against the wall of the cave.

"I don't know what Arkadimon has promised you, but he's lying!" Taku growled as he glared at Volcamon.

"I didn't ask for anything, and he is giving me everything I wanted," chuckled Volcamon, "Including a more powerful singing voice…Allow me to demonstrate!" Volcamon backed into the tunnel. "Doe Ray Me Fah So La Ti DOOOOOOOOOE!"

The chamber around the children shuddered, as sound poured in from the tunnel. There was a loud crack and then portions of the roof crashed down around the egg mounds. Kisho and Haru yelped as they dove over the eggs and rocks and stones crashed down. The sound suddenly muffled as the tunnel collapsed in on itself, sealing the children in the chamber.

There was a loud screech from above. Renamon cursed silently under her breath. Two twisting shadows washed over the hole in the ceiling. Finally the first of three snake-like, finned, dragon digimon slid into the roof entrance. The three digimon glared down at Ren, Taku and Jiro with Koromon, then their eyes turned to DORUmon, Guilmon, DemiDevimon and Renamon and then finally at the pile of rocks around the egg mounds. A deafening roar of fury and terror ripped forward and then bounced back and forth as it echoed on the rounded walls of the chamber.

"I think we've just been given our sentence before our trial," DemiDevimon gulped as the three large sea dragon snarled in the air above the children.

"We didn't do this!" shouted Jiro loudly as he put Koromon down and spread his arms, showing his palms, "We really didn't do this!"

"Our friends, they're in there!" Ren pointed back at the rock piles, "They leapt in to protect your babies!" Ren ran over to the piles and started to pull rocks from the mounds. The dragons snarled and then screeched in fury.

"Ren, that's only pissing them off!" hummed Taku loudly as he looked up, terrified, at the sea dragons.

One of the dragons, the middle and the largest, opened its mouth. A swirling maelstrom of bluish wind swam in the back of the dragon's throat, but just as the dragon was about to launch forward at Ren, the dragon on its left, a smaller but grayer dragon swept forward to obstruct the larger. The attacking dragon grunted and growled in response to the obstruction, but the gray dragon only tilted its head and fanned the large fin-like ears on its head. The third dragon snorted, as its bright red eyes glared in the direction of the gray dragon's inclinations. A small, whimpering whine wafted up from the stones.

"Ymmmra…Ymmmmra! YMMMMRAAAAAA!" the voice cried.

"That's the Yuramon, Kisho found!" Ren ran over to the pile that was whimpering. The dragon snarled loudly as the human started to peel rocks from the mound.

"Oh shush!" growled DemiDevimon, "She's helping you!"

"Kisho! Kisho! Can you hear me!" shouted Ren. "Kisho, shout, say something!" The girl's eyes flashed back to Taku. "Help me!"

Taku slowly sidled towards the mound; making sure to keep his eyes fixed on the three dragons that were growling ever louder as the boy got closer to the rock pile. Renamon wasn't far behind as she started to dig into the rocks. It wasn't long before they pulled Kisho up the boy was scuffed, and the scratches on his arms and legs bled slowly. His arms were tucked against his chest.

"Kisho, are you ok?" Ren looked in the boy's eyes. He lifted his eyes slowly and then turned his head, "Haru…is in one of the other piles…he needs…our help…"

Taku and Ren nodded and ran towards the other piles and started to pull rocks from them. They were quickly joined by Guilmon and DORUmon, as well as Jiro.

"Kisho, the Seadramon are here," Renamon whispered. The fox looked back up at the agitated dragons, "And they aren't happy."

"We…didn't do this…" Kisho said as he looked up at the dragons. "It was Volcamon…"

The dragons growled as they glared at the boy.

"Ymmurmmma!" came a muffled cry from Kisho's chest. The dragon narrowed their eyes. "YUUUUMMMMRAAAAA!" The boy moved his arms as something wriggled against his skin. The little hair ball that had exploded to life in his hands shot from his arms up to the sea dragons. "YURA! YURA! YURA!"

The dragons roared in anger and swooped down and moved between the hovering hair ball and the children. They all opened their mouths.

"We didn't do this! We were trying to protect your babies!" Kisho pleaded. He started to mime the action of diving. "We dove down on top of them so the rocks would break them!"

The dragons were done listening though. Blue winds swirled around their mouth as an icy chill filled the chamber.

"Listen to me!" shouted Kisho loudly. "Please! We don't mean you or your babies any harm!"

"Haru!" Ren shouted as she pulled the blonde haired boy from the rocks. He was clutching two eggs under his arms. His arms were black and blue and his forehead was cut, but the eggs he carried were unharmed. "Haru are you ok?"

"The eggs…" whispered Haru, "Are the eggs safe?"

"Brother!" Jiro hopped forward, "Please be ok!"

"SEE!" Kisho suddenly swept his arm around to Haru.

The dragons reared back and roared loudly. The wind focused into a single round ball of icy wind.

"YURA!" The baby rocketed down in front of the dragons. It shook its head and yelped at the dragons. "Yura! YURA!" The dragons grunted and snorted at the baby. One even moved to take Yuramon up in its mouth, but the ball of hair glided away from the dragons and flew down to Kisho and started to snuggle against his chest. It looked back at the dragons with large coal-like eyes, "Yuuuuraaa…."

The dragons looked at each other and then at the baby. Their eyebrows quirked back and forth as they crooned softly like whales and grunted at one another. They then looked sternly at the baby and made a small barking sound.

"Yura!" the baby shook its head again and then nuzzled closer to Kisho, "Yuuuuraa…"

The dragons moved down and brought their heads close to Kisho.

"Kisho!" yelped the other children as they tried to hop forward. Renamon quickly lifted her paw restraining them back.

"Wait…" Renamon hissed as she looked at the dragons.

The gray dragon moved in and touched Kisho's half tamed, brown hair with its snout and took in a deep breath, nearly sucking the hair off the boy's head. It grunted as the largest dragon poked Kisho's stomach with its snout and growled as it pushed the boy back against the pile of rocks. Kisho dropped back and looked up, his wavering between total fear and icy restraint. The baby only nuzzled closer and yelped back at the dragons. The third dragon with the sharp red eyes was intermediate in size and glided forward. It opened its mouth wide.

"KISHO!" yelped Ren. Renamon held the girl back and watched as a large, pink tongue flicked forward and slid over Kisho's face.

"Ew…." Taku remarked as Kisho's body was drenched in the dragon's saliva.

The red eyed dragon turned to the other two and made a chuffing sound. The other two glided forward and opened their mouth and then bathed Kisho in their spit.

"That's…so wrong…" Taku whispered as Kisho looked at them.

He looked like a wet Afghan hound. Drool slowly oozed down his arms and hair, dripping to the floor like melted peanut butter. The dragon's looked at the other children. The red eyed dragon chuffed loudly and the others started to move forward. Ren screamed as the largest one opened its mouth.

"Don't!" The girl put her arms up and shook her head.

"Ren…" growled Haru, "Let the dragon give you a kiss…you don't want to piss them off again…"

"YUCK!" Ren turned to Haru, "Yuck!"

Jiro walked forward and lifted his hand to one of the dragons. The large sea snake flicked its tongue out and swept it over Jiro's hand. The boy started to giggle as the tongue lapped at his palms.

"It's like a big dog!" giggled Jiro as he drew his hand back.

The gray dragon swept forward and caught Taku in the face with its tongue, sliding it up the dark haired boy's face. Taku struggled at first and then gave up when the dragon's tongue proved more maneuverable than his shocked arms and neck. Haru was next as the largest dragon sniffed his scraped arms and started to lick them. Haru hissed at first when the scrapes started to burn, but then a soothing tingling swept up his arm. Haru looked up at the dragon.

"You're saliva…it has some sort of painkiller in it…or some kind of medicinal abilities…" Haru whispered as he looked in the large eye of the dragon. The dragon only let out a soothing purr and then pulled back.

Ren looked at the boys horrified, "Are you guys nuts?"

"Ren…it's not that bad," Haru replied as he patted the snout of the dragon that had licked him. The dragon snorted and pulled its snout back suddenly, "Sorry…I bet you have a lot of sensory cells there…"

The three dragons hovered over Ren and snorted at one another. Ren turned and closed her eyes and lifted a hand daintily towards them. The three slid down and ran their tongues over her arm. The girl shivered and whimpered.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew," Ren looked at her arm. It was covered in dragon slobber. "Ewwwww!"

Ren rushed to wipe the slobber onto his clothes. The others only grumbled as she did so. The dragon snorted at one another and then looked at the children. Yuramon had departed from Kisho after the dragons had washed him.

"Now what…" DemiDevimon said as he looked at the cave entrance, "We're still trapped in here…"

"Maybe not…" DORUmon pointed over to Kisho. The dragons were gently prodding the boy. One of the dragons carefully snagged Kisho with its mouth and lifted him up only to put him down a few seconds later. "If the Seadramon would fly us up that hole we could escape…"

"Except no one here, knows enough about the Seadramon's speech patterns to be able to converse with them on that level," Renamon sighed in frustration.

"Maybe we don't have to…" Guilmon said quietly.

The dragon walked up to the dragons. The Seadramon started a little at the sudden arrival of the digimon but then settled. Guilmon grunted and then started to mime. He ran over to Koromon and grunted some more and then picked up the round digimon and then put Koromon on his head. Guilmon then extended his arms and acted like he was flying. Guilmon then pointed up at the hole and gurned feverishly. The dragons looked at each other in confusion. The dragons then turned their head to Kisho.

The boy looked at Guilmon and then looked up at the dragons, "I can't be sure, but I think he wants you guys to take us to that hole up there…" Kisho pointed up at the hole in the roof.

The dragons looked at each other. The chuffed and growled, grunted and snorted at each other for a few minutes and then turned back to the children. The largest dragon swooped down and pushed at Kisho and then lifted him up on its snout. It curled back around and caught Haru in the same way. The gray dragon snagged Ren, Taku and Jiro. The third lowered itself down and sighed as the digimon scrambled up on its back. The three dragons lifted up and in single file glided through the opening in the roof.

They settled down on the small mountain like nook that they exited. The children turned and noticed that they were a good mile from the shore now. The Seadramon crooned softly at the children.

"We're sorry we disturbed your egg chamber…" Kisho looked up at the dragons. "And we're really sorry for involving your babies in our fight with Volcamon…"

"Don't you worry, we'll get him! And stop Arkadimon!" Jiro shouted. The dragons only looked at each quizzically.

"Yura!" yelped a voice in the cave. Seconds later a hair ball flew up and attached itself to Kisho's chest. "Yura! YUUUURAAA!"

"I'm sorry, little buddy, but I can't stay, we have to go find the other tags and crests…" Kisho gently peeled the digimon from him. He looked the digimon in the eyes, "Don't worry, I'll be fine, we'll make things right for you…and when you grow up to be like the rest of your family, things will be safe for you…"

"We all promise," Haru looked at the others and then nodded.

"We will get Volcamon to release Arkadimon, and then we'll beat Arkadimon," Taku growled. "And then we'll get to go home…"

"Taku…" Ren hissed, "that's a little rude!"

"It's true…" Taku snorted.

The dragons chirped loudly and then prodded Yuramon back into the cave. The largest looked down at the children and bowed its head a little and released a soft, purr-like growl before following its comrades into the cave.

"We should go," Haru said quietly, "we have four tags and crests to find after all."

"We should find something to eat…" whimpered Guilmon as he held his stomach, "I haven't eaten in a very long time…"

"Yes, and after Volcamon's assault…we need a little rest," Renamon looked at the others.

"You guys are right, we need to find someplace to rest," Kisho slowly started to descend the rocky spout they were on, moving towards the surrounding forest. "Come on."

The others slowly followed the boy and slid down the mountainside.

888

"They are searching for something," whispered Volcamon as he looked down at Sukamon, "We will find out what….and then we'll get what they want…and use it to lure them to their deaths…"

"Maestro…do you really want to kill them?" asked Sukamon as the yellow dollop hopped around his metallic master.

"Without a doubt…" hissed Volcamon as his eyes shifted to a soft red, "Without a doubt…"

**888**

**AN: Volcamon's first attack, yes. Well he's a concert singer of sorts. As to his song, it's a real song, and in Latin. You can look it up; I thought it was slightly appropriate. Oh I'm sorry for being so long with this chapter, but classes have started and I've been relatively tired and busy, so things may be slow…hopefully not gut wrenchingly so though.**

**Blue: Yes, well, the battle was sort of a monster of the week thing, and basically to show the… 'improvement' the digi-destined had acquired. This is the true beginning and yes again the battle is very unfightish, but as I remember Etemon's fights with the digi-destined, they often didn't result in much either.**

**Dark Qiviut: It's ok, and yes Arkadimon is there…more or less. I can't really say anything more, I hope that these chapters set up for things to come…I see one or two chapters that I think will be…good or at least slightly fun for me to write.**

**Dark: Ok…well thanks… **


	20. Shinies

**I don't own digimon nor do I own the Phantom of the Opera or its lyrics, **

**Shinies**

**888**

"The night…is beautiful here," whispered Haru as he laid back and looked up at the sky. Millions of stars twinkled in the darkness. "It's not like this in Japan, you can't see the sky…there is too much light from the city."

"I always wondered what the stars were made of…" Guilmon breathed. The black and red dragon laid next to his partner and sighed up at the stars. "They look like their little sprinkles on dark chocolate frosting…."

"Heh…leave it to you to make them into food…" chuckled Haru quietly. His eyelids slowly weighed down, but he forced them open. "Stars are made of hydrogen and helium molecules…the lightest things in the universe…and they burn by smashing hydrogen so tight that it turns into helium…because of the smashing it causes the star to make light and heat…"

"Jeesh, Haru, you sure are smart," whispered Guilmon as he looked over at the boy.

"No, I'm not, it's just something they teach at school," Haru yawned quietly. "I wish that we could go home…just so we could tell our parents where we are, so I can tell my parents where Jiro is…he's my responsibility," Haru turned his head and looked over at the sleeping form of his brother, who had his arms curled tightly around Koromon, who was snoring quietly against the boy's chest. "If anything were to happen to him…"

"You should sleep Haru," Guilmon whispered as he looked at his partner, "I can watch things…I promise!"

"I could never ask you to do it alone," Haru yawned and sat up, "It's my responsibility too, I won't let you down…"

"But if you're tired tomorrow we won't get very far!" Guilmon retorted quietly as he matched his partner and sat up. "And we have to find the other tags and crests!"

"Yes, yes, I know, Kisho only said it forty-seven billion times," Haru stood up and walked around. The others were sleeping quietly around the fire. They were clean now, and dry and warm. "It's a good thing I found that hot spring…"

"Yeah, that felt really good," Guilmon purred quietly as he closed his eyes. "Almost as good as those berries you found…"

"Those were good berries…it's a shame there aren't any streams around here…" Haru sighed and sat back down, "I guess we won't get any fish or such for a while…"

"We could fish off the coast," Guilmon replied quietly.

"It's a bit much to haul fish all the way from the coast," Haru laid back and put his hands behind his head. "Gosh the stars are beautiful this time of…"

"What's wrong?" Guilmon walked over to his partner and looked down at the blonde haired boy.

Haru put his hands in his left pocket and pulled out a round stone. A deep violet arrow was sweeping past the surface of the stone going from south to north.

"A…tag and crest…" Haru stood up, "but it's moving…fast…"

"Should we wake the others?" Guilmon whispered as he eagerly in the direction the arrow pointed.

"No…" Haru narrowed his eyes, "We should wait…till they awaken."

"But…if it's moving it could leave the island," Guilmon whispered.

"No…it won't…I can feel it won't…" Haru narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the sky again, "The dawn will be here soon. We can go then, it will be safer."

"But what if it goes far away?" Guilmon yawned quietly, "What then?"

"Then we follow," Haru sighed. "Don't worry. The island isn't very large it won't get far."

Guilmon nodded quietly and sat down on the ground next to where Haru was standing. Haru sat down and looked off in the direction the fading glow of the rock's lavender arrow.

Morning did come only a couple of hours later. It slowly made itself known to the world. The shifting glow from dark blue to violet, slowly progressing to pink and orange finally resulted in the first streaks of searing light that shot throw the air like arrows of light, piercing through the night's darkness. A blazing disc breached the eastern horizon, at first tentatively then more assuredly, like a child peering into a darkened room. Birds started to sing and the shadows were peeled from their places like the rinds of oranges.

Haru heard someone get up and he turned. He frowned slightly as Taku and DemiDevimon stood up and looked at him.

"How'd it go?" Taku was curt with the question and started to turn.

"It was fine, don't be long, we need to go soon," Haru returned.

His voice came as more of a demand than he had wanted it to, but he really didn't care. Taku glared back at Haru but didn't reply. The black haired boy only disappeared in the direction of the hot springs.

"You should at least try to get along with him…" Haru's eyes shot to his left. Kisho was stretching and blinking. The brunette rubbed his eyes and smiled quietly, "We have to be together for who knows how long…it would go by faster if we got along…"

"We weren't fighting," Haru hissed through his teeth, "I don't know what's up with you, but you're getting really annoying really fast…I don't know if it's because you have a tag and crest and think you're some sort of super human, or if you're just this annoying on a usual basis, but if you utter one word about togetherness or having to find things, I'm going to hit you…"

Kisho blinked and looked at Haru, "I was just…"

"Nyah…" Haru flicked his fingers across his throat. "Not a word…"

Kisho sighed and shook his head, "So did anything interesting happen while you were on watch?"

"Yeah…" Haru blushed slightly as he thought about how he would say it, "My stone…well…it…glowed…"

Kisho looked at Haru and didn't say anything. He blinked a couple of times and then stood up. He walked across the clearing over to Ren and poked her. One of Renamon's cobalt eyes flicked open. Ren shifted unhappily on the ground as Kisho poked her.

"If you want, I'll wake her," Renamon whispered in an annoyed tone.

"Thank you," Kisho stood straight and walked over to Jiro.

"I can do that," Haru said as he cut between Kisho and Jiro.

Kisho looked into Haru's blue eyes. Kisho then turned and walked towards the shrubbery. He turned his head and looked at DORUmon. The lavender digimon rose to its feet and walked after Kisho as they disappeared into the bush. Haru growled softly and knelt down and gently shook Jiro. The boy whimpered and his eyes flickered open.

"Haru?" whispered Jiro as he looked up at Haru. "Is it morning already?"

"No, it's the middle of the night," Haru smiled slightly. Jiro frowned slightly, but Haru rubbed the boy's blonde hair ruffling it. "Get up, we need to get ready to go, my stone glowed…"

"What did Kisho say?" Jiro looked up his blue eyes wide in anticipation.

"Nothing," Haru replied out the corner of his mouth and looked down. "I think I made him angry…but it's probably because it's so early…"

"What did you say?" Jiro asked.

"Nothing, it's just…he's been so dang gung ho about this finding the crests thing…" Haru let out a soft growl of exasperation and furrowed his eyebrows. "I told him not to say anything about it…"

"Oh…" Jiro looked down at Koromon, who was still fidgeting and trying to sleep, "Koromon, get up, we gotta get ready."

"But I'm tiiired!" whimpered the round digimon as he fussed.

"Koromon!" Jiro whined as he stood and lifted the digimon. "Come on, we gotta go get washed up and stuff…we're going to go find Haru's tag and crest today!"

The little digimon continued to fuss as Jiro carried him away. Haru yawned quietly and stood up. Ren was sitting against a tree rubbing her eyes. Renamon was sitting next to her quietly surveying things.

"You should sleep if you're tired," Ren said quietly as she looked at Haru. "We don't want you to lag behind."

Haru quirked and eyebrow and looked at the girl intently. "I wouldn't worry about that, Ren."

"I'm just saying…" Ren's replied as she brushed the dirt off her skirt.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine; worry about yourself," Haru returned gruffly, "Guilmon, we better get to the hot springs."

"Ok," The dragon bounded up to Haru.

Haru walked quietly towards the bushes. His eyes flicked down to Ren as he passed her. She was running her hands through her hair.

"Ugh, I'd kill for a brush…" grumbled the girl as Haru pushed through the bushes.

Haru only shook his head as he walked down the small path to the hot springs. The humidity clung to the bushes yet. He could already hear the sloshing of the others washing and getting as clean as they could without soap. He slowly started to disrobe and put his clothes in a pile next to the other and quickly sprinted through the bushes and into the hot springs. He tensed up as his skin tingled from the hot water. The others were on the far side of the small pool. The pool was nestled in an outcropping of granite. Haru finally settled quietly against the stones and laid his head back.

"So, your thingy glowed," Taku said quietly. The black haired boy looked up at Haru.

"Yes it did," Haru replied as he rubbed his arms. Guilmon was sniffing the water behind Haru. The dragon tilted his head and dove in.

Guilmon's head popped up out of the water, "Yep, it was moving too…"

Kisho looked up in shock, "Moving…and you thought it wasn't important to track it?"

"Not when it was dark, and you guys were exhausted," Haru replied. "It's not going to leave the island…"

"How do you know that?" Kisho snapped angrily. "It could be on some flying digimon and long gone, or worse at the bottom of the ocean!"

"It's not!" Haru shouted. His blue eyes seemed to burn with icy blue flames. "Get off my back already! I can feel that it's still here!"

"Oh well in that case maybe I should put mine back," Kisho snorted, "I have a feeling that it won't leave either!"

"Haru, Kisho…." Jiro started, but Taku put his hand on the boy's shoulder and only shook his head.

"You're not nearly as awesome as you think!" Haru growled under his breath.

"What…?" Kisho looked at Haru in shock. "I…don't know what you're talking about…"

"Well…I suppose he has a point, you have gotten kind of bossy," Taku said as he looked at Kisho, "but then again I don't listen to you anyways…so I guess…"

"Thanks…you can stop now," Kisho whispered as he looked at Taku. "Look if you guys feel that way; why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were so pleased with how things were going!" Haru looked up at Kisho, "I didn't want to upset you, because, though I have a hard time figuring out how, you're kind of the glue that holds things together, but you're getting to be annoying…if you'd just settle down and think about how we feel sometimes instead of thinking your way is best…"

"I never think my way is best…" Kisho snorted and crossed his arms.

"Actually, you were doing it just a few minutes ago, you thought we should've gone after that tag and crest and Haru didn't but you discredited him," Taku pointed out quietly.

"Don't you think it's important?" Kisho yelped.

"Not as important as resting up," Haru returned loudly. "You forget, there are some of us that need to rest more than you, I was trying to be considerate and let you guys sleep…and that's not even considering the fact we still have Volcamon to deal with."

"And Arkadimon after that," Taku said as he looked into the water.

"I'm done talking about it, we need to get going," Kisho said as he waded across the hot spring and got out. He ducked behind the bushes and got dressed.

"Not exactly the most thoughtful guy in the morning; is he?" said Taku quietly with a snide smile. Haru only growled softly and got out of the water and disappeared into the bushes. Taku looked at Jiro and then sighed as the boy looked at him.

"Things aren't right; are they?" Jiro whispered as he looked at the ground.

"Don't worry…" Taku said as he sat in the water, DemiDevimon perched softly on his head. "They'll work it out…"

Jiro nodded and got out of the water, "Momma always said that it was best to get out before your fingers pruned…"

Taku smiled a little as the boy quickly disappeared in the bushed where his clothes must have been deposited. Taku sighed as the boy disappeared and sunk under the water. DemiDevimon yelped as he leapt into the air.

"Warn me when you do that?" yelped the bat in a semi-sleepy shout.

"Just be quiet," Taku growled softly as he lifted his head, "I think…I'm poisoning things…everyone is fighting…"

"Where'dya get an idea like that, Taku!" the bat landed softly on the edge of the springs.

"I don't know, it just feels that way…" Taku sighed. "And Gennai said I was different…unexpected…"

"That doesn't mean anything," DemiDevimon returned, "If Gennai's right then I'm the odd one out, too…"

"Yeah…" Taku sighed quietly and got out the water slowly and went off to get dressed.

888

After the boys returned Ren went off to wash up. It took her what seemed like forever, and finally Kisho went to retrieve her. He returned with large lumps on his head and a black eye.

"I see she wasn't quite ready…" Taku snickered quietly.

"Actually…" Ren appeared out of the forest. She was tying the remains of a bow around her neck and glaring at Kisho, "I was in the process of putting my shirt on…"

"The rocks weren't so bad…" Kisho groaned as he rubbed his head, "but then Renamon punched me in the eye…"

"Ren told you to stop looking…" replied the vixen quietly as she appeared out of the forest like a phantom. "You persisted to look…"

"IT WAS A SHOCK!" yelped Kisho.

"So…" Taku looked at Kisho and flashed a mischievous grin at him and then flicked his eyes up at Ren.

"If you dare…" Ren growled loudly. "Trust me; I'll make Renamon look like the nice one…"

Kisho gulped loudly and looked at Ren. The girl's eyes were blazing with hellfire and brimstone. Her fists were clenched tightly. Jiro hid behind Haru, and Haru was shuddering slightly.

"Ren's almost scary as Volcamon…" gulped Guilmon as he hid behind Jiro.

"Yeah…" DORUmon gulped quietly.

"And she's pretty good at throwing rocks too…" Kisho whimpered as he rubbed his head.

Ren only huffed loudly and turned crossing her arms. Renamon quirked an eyebrow and then imitated Ren.

"Guys…" Haru finally said quietly as he pulled his stone from his pocket. "We have company…the tag and crest…It's moving, it's going to go right past us!"

"Err…" Kisho shook his head slightly and turned, "Right! Let's head out!"

"If whatever it is that's moving it is a particularly mean digimon, we could just have Ren throw rocks at it until it gives us the tag and crest," snickered Taku.

"Watch it, buddy!" Ren snorted as she lifted her fist.

"Don't worry, Taku I'll protect you!" DemiDevimon glided forward snickering.

"You forget…" Renamon said as the vixen appeared in front of DemiDevimon, "I'm with Ren…"

"Uh…Taku…you're on your own!" DemiDevimon hid behind the boy.

"Coward," snorted Taku as he looked at Renamon and Ren standing next to each other. Taku gulped and then turned around, "Never mind…we better get finding those tags and crests…you know what Kisho says…"

"YES!" shouted Haru, Jiro and Ren simultaneously. They chanted in unison. "The tags and crests will help us get home…."

"That's not what I sound like," snorted Kisho as he walked away.

"Hey, wait for us!" called the others as they jogged after him.

It started out straight forward enough. Kisho rejoined the group and Haru led them through the forest following the tag and crest as they turned and walked around the forest. The forest was still due ridden and the sun was slow to punch through the deeper sections of the woods because of the thick deciduous foliage. Roots tripped them up as they pushed into what seemed to be the older forest. Huge trees reached high into the sky blocking the sun and in this part of the forest, the night seemed to still be present, and mist swept around the tree trunks.

"Are you sure it's this way?" Ren was walking next to Renamon; her hands were wrapped around the fox's paw. "It's just…that it's getting really kind of creepy…"

"It can't be much further," Haru replied as he lifted his stone, "The arrow is really bright and the stone is getting warm. "I mean we must be almost standing on it…" Haru stopped and looked at the stone. The arrow disappeared and was replaced with a large dot in the middle of the stone, "Ok…now what?"

"OW!" yelped Ren as she ran forward and hid behind Kisho. "Someone shot me!"

"Oh, so it's ok to hide behind me after you pummel me with rocks…" Kisho snorted.

"Something hit me!" yelped Ren loudly.

"Ren, I don't sense anything…" the fox turned.

"The forest smells…like…water," Guilmon sighed as he looked around in the murkiness. "There's too much dew…"

"Son of a…" Taku growled as he grabbed his arm. "Someone just hit me with a rock!"

There were giggles in the trees. Taku growled loudly and looked up.

"Who's ever up there better come down here and apologize!" shouted Jiro loudly as he and Koromon scanned the branches.

"Ooo, we're so scared…" giggled the voices in return.

"I'll show you scared…" growled Taku, "Don't make me come up there!"

"Whatcha gonna do? Beat us up?" giggled the trees loudly, "You'll have to catch us first!"

"Grr," Taku glared up at the branches, "DemiDevimon go up there and show them who's who!"

"Right!" DemiDevimon flew into the forest. The trees erupted in laughter. A few seconds later DemiDevimon's voice broke through the branches, "OI! THAT'S ATTACHED! Ow! Don't do that!"

Seconds later DemiDevimon was dangling from the tree by vine ropes. The bat struggled intently, but that only caused the rope to sway back and for.

"Never send a bat to do a mon's job!" giggled the trees loudly.

"That's it…" Renamon growled. She glared up at the trees, "Give us the tag and crest, and we may think about saving you a beating…"

"The what, and the what?" the voices replied loudly.

"We know you must have them, give them to us; they're ours!" Haru called out loudly. "We don't want a fight; we just want the tag and crest!"

"What's a tag?" said one voice.

"And what's a crest?" asked another.

"This is going to be one of those long days isn't it?" sighed Taku as he freed DemiDevimon.

"You have nothing to say until you've been tied up!" growled the bat loudly.

"Who are they?" Renamon looked up at the trees.

"Don't know, they took me from behind, but they can't be big…" DemiDevimon looked up at the trees and narrowed his eyes. "I'll get you for that!"

"Bats and stones may break our bones, if you could catch us!" chattered the voices in the tree.

"This is getting us no where fast," grumbled Haru.

"This is it," Renamon growled under her breath and suddenly leapt into the trees. The fox's sudden action elicited a loud screeching and rustling. Renamon's voice shot from the trees, "Ah ha! So it's you!"

"RUN AWAY!" shouted one of the voices.

"No you don't!" Renamon shouted. There was a sharp rustle of leaves and the branches shook heavily.

"Hey!" called another one of the voices. "You can't do that!"

"I just did," growled Renamon. "Now, hand it over…"

"Hand what over?" growled a third voice.

"That pendant hanging around your neck!" Renamon snarled.

"Never! This is our treasure! We'll never give it to you!" shouted the three voices in unison.

"Then I'll take it!" Renamon growled. There was a rustling of leaves and a yelp from one of the voices.

"Don't worry, brother!" shouted another voice. "Hiya!"

The tree shook slightly and Renamon growled again. "What are you going to do with those?"

"This!" shouted the voices. There were sudden thwacking sounds that popped through the air, followed by Renamon's yelps.

"Watch where you're snapping those things!" snorted Renamon as the tree branches trembled and rustled.

"Now, brother!" shouted one of the voices.

"Huh?" Renamon's voice uttered and then there was a gasp of surprise. "LET ME GO!"

"Monkey see monkey do, guess who's got you!" called one of the voices. There was a grunt and the voice yelped as a loud clunk resounded against the trunk.

"Idiot!" snorted Renamon as the branches bowed. "Now hand it over, before I have to get really rough."

"Nope…see ya!" said one of the voices. There were sharp twangs of rubber. Renamon cursed loudly as the branches bent one after another, retreating from the sound of rubber bands.

"Renamon, watch out!" called DemiDevimon as he pointed to a cracked branch, but it was too late.

Renamon foot landed on the branch. The twangs of rubber instantly erupted as small, metallic marble ricocheted off of the branch. Renamon's foot pivoted and the branch gave out sending the fox and the branch crashing to the ground in a heap.

"Let's get out of here!" shouted one of the voices.

"Yeah, see ya later," giggled another voice and then the trees rustled loudly.

"Stupid…monkeys," growled Renamon as she leapt from the branch and landed next to Ren.

"Well, who is it?" DemiDevimon asked feverishly.

"Koemon," Renamon narrowed her eyes.

"Koemon?" Ren looked at the two digimon.

"Mischievous monkeys…they like treasures and shiny things," DORUmon said as he hopped up to Renamon, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine…" the fox replied in annoyance, "but their getting away!"

"Don't worry, we can track them as long as they have the tag and crest!" Haru called as he started to run, "They're going this way!"

The others chased after Haru as he leapt and pushed through bushes and scrambled haphazardly over tree trunks. The others pushed after him as the sun lifted above the steaming mountain top.

888

"Get the fruit, Sukamon. Draw my bath Sukamon. Don't forget to take the garbage out Sukamon," grumbled the yellow dollop of ill assorted material as he bounced down the path carrying a sack of fruit rinds and fish bones. "I'm supposed to be his apprentice to be a singer, not so I can become a waste management engineer! Now these stupid brats have put him in a fowl mood…he's always hitting me…sometimes I wonder why I ever decided to come here with him…I could've taken an apprenticeship with Shogun Gekomon, but nooo, I had to go fancy with Volcamon…I don't even like classical concert music…I wanted to learn about jazz and Rock'n'Roll and be the king of swing!" Sukamon sighed and shrugged, "I guess he's the best though…"

Suddenly the trees in front of Sukamon erupted forth, and three, green-furred monkeys in leopard skins shot past. Sukamon hadn't time to react as the three digimon rushed past him knocking him back and forth and sending him spinning, when Sukamon had finally gotten stable he looked in his hands; the sack he'd been carrying was gone.

"Now where did that…" Sukamon thought for a second and then looked up. The sack crashed down on top of him and the tie came undone, releasing its contents of aged rinds and fish heads. Sukamon slowly climbed out of the grime and started to pick it up, and put it back in the sack. He stopped and turned as the bushes behind him rustled. Sukamon started to whimper as five humans and their digimon shot past him knocking and pushing the digimon about. The sack somehow found its way on top of Sukamon and the digimon only sat there whimpering silently.

"GIVE US THAT PENDANT!" shouted one of the humans and Sukamon lifted the sack slightly and watched them disappear in the distance.

"They want a pendant?" Sukamon quickly gathered up the mess and put in a bag and started to hop back to Volcamon's hut, "Volcamon said he wanted to know what the children were looking for…this could be my ticket to actually getting to get song lessons from him!"

888

"This isn't working," huffed Haru as he leaned against a tree. "They are too fast. We need a plan…"

"They seem to be moving towards the mountain," replied Renamon as she looked at the stone in Haru's hand. "We may be able to cut them off there."

"We have to get around them first…" Taku replied between deep breaths.

"That should not be a problem," Renamon looked up at DemiDevimon, "We can bypass them easily."

"If we came in from behind, we'd wedge them between us! And then…" Kisho clapped his hands together as if he was trying to killing a fly, "Bam, we got them."

"If you guys could've caught them…" Ren looked at Renamon and DemiDevimon, "Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to leave you behind," Renamon's simple reply came. "I apologize if I angered you by doing so…"

"No, it's kind of sweet actually…" Ren blushed slightly.

"Ok, you guys ready?" Haru looked at Renamon and DemiDevimon, "You have to at least catch them, I suggest going on either side of them, try and coral them so that they can't get away, and then drive them towards the mountain, hopefully we can get them trapped against a mountain wall and then they'll have to listen to us."

The two digimon nodded. Renamon leapt into the trees and DemiDevimon flew into the sky. The children ran after the arrow on the stone. The mountain rose up and the trees became fewer and fewer, and were replaced by more ragged rocks. Flashes of Renamon appeared several meters ahead of them as the golden fox zigzagged ahead of them. The arrow's glow brightened and Haru smiled.

"We're getting closer," Haru looked at the arrow as it wobbled slightly, but continued to steadily glow brighter.

The forest peeled away from their view and was replaced by a large clearing. Huge, jagged, volcanic rock shot up on either side of the clearing and the mountain arched up in a giant spike ahead. There was a single tree in the midst of the bowl. Three small, child sized monkeys were standing there glaring, first at Renamon then at DemiDevimon.

"GOTCHA!" Haru cheered loudly and pointed at the monkeys.

"We're not giving up our treasure!" shouted the middle monkey. He was the one wearing the pendant. "It's ours we found it fair and square; finders keepers loser weepers!"

"No, it's ours, those are meant for us!" Haru retorted as he stomped forward.

"STAY BACK!" shouted the monkeys loudly as they whipped out oversized slingshots from their back. A metal marble was placed in the elastic band, "We'll shoot!"

"If you do, it's the last thing you'll ever do," growled Renamon from one of the stones on the walls.

"Ditto for me," growled DemiDevimon as a large syringe materialized in his claws.

DORUmon and Guilmon pushed in front and growled softly at the monkeys. "Give up the tag and crest…and nothing bad has to happen."

"It's our treasure!" shouted the monkeys.

"It's not yours!" shouted Haru loudly, "It's mine!"

"Nuh uh," retorted the monkeys.

"Haru…" Jiro looked up at his brother, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know…" growled Haru loudly. "If they don't give it up I suppose we'll have to use force…"

"But they have a claim to it…they did find it first," Jiro looked at his brother.

"It's not theirs!" Haru spun around on his brother, "Don't you get it…they basically stole it from us and won't give it back!"

"So you're going to steal it back?" Jiro looked up at his brother worriedly, "That's just as wrong…"

"Jiro has a point…" Taku said in exasperation. "Beating them up to get the tag and crest is no better than if Volcamon or Arkadimon did it…or even how Baronmon dealt with File Island, do we really want to become thugs?"

"How can you take their side?" Haru looked at Taku in surprise as he pointed at the monkeys.

"Taku, Haru's right, we have to get the tags and crests at any cost…" Kisho said as he looked at black haired boy, "even if we have to take them by force…"

"But they aren't a threat," Taku said, "They aren't even that powerful…if we beat them up to take the tag and crest it would be no better than Volcamon beating us up…we can't do it."

"Haru…please…" Jiro looked up at his brother.

"Don't do it," Ren looked up at Renamon as the fox was slowly inching her way into leaping distance of the monkeys, "We're not doing this, this way."

"REN!" Kisho looked at the girl.

"Don't start, Kisho. Jiro and Taku are right, this is wrong," Ren looked at the monkeys. "Isn't there anything we could do to convince you to give us the tag and crest?"

The monkeys looked at the girl and then huddled together. Haru and Kisho crossed their arms and waited with the others as the monkeys conversed. The monkey wearing the tag and crest turned to the children.

"We will trade…but the terms are that we make the terms, we have to be satisfied with what you give us…no ifs, ands or buts," said the monkey.

"Especially baboon butts…" said the monkey on the left.

The middle monkey whapped the monkey on the left with his sling shot.

"Great…" Haru growled as he turned to the others, "I don't suppose any of you guys have anything worth trading?"

"I have a hair clip," said Ren as she dug into her pocket and pulled out a pink, plastic clip with a small butterfly design on it.

"Yeah…anyone else?" Haru looked at Taku.

"I have…" Taku stuck his hand in his pocket, "A lot of lint…wait…I have a coin…but I don't think it would attract much at the bidding table…"

"What about you, Kisho?" Haru turned to the brunette.

"Well…I have my goggles…" Kisho took the goggles off, "I mean, I don't really need them…and they make me look dorky…"

"But that's how we know you…" Taku said, "Dorky that is…the goggles though…ugh…"

"Now's not the time," Kisho growled softly as he looked up at the monkeys.

Everyone looked at Jiro. The boy frowned slightly. He put his hand into his pocket. "I have…" The boy pulled his hand out and opened his palm. It was a locket; there was no chain to it, just the locket. The locket clicked open and revealed a picture. The picture had two people in it. One was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes with soft tanned skin; the other was a man, he was blonde with sharp blue eyes. The woman was dressed in a red dress; the man in a pure white navy uniform.

"That's…Mother and Father's…" Haru gasped. The blonde narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiro. "Why do you have that?"

"I-I…took it…I wanted to show my teacher…" Jiro looked up at Haru. "The chain broke…I was afraid to tell them so I hid it…"

"They looked for that for months!"

Haru snapped. "You had it all this time!"

"I wanted to hold onto it, I was afraid I'd forget where I put it! I wanted to fix it! I really did!" Jiro sniffled quietly and looked down. "I'm sorry…"

"Well we're not using it to trade," Haru growled as he took the locket from Jiro's hand and put it in his pocket. "Do you have anything else?"

"No," Jiro said quietly as he stared at the ground. "Just the locket…"

"I haven't anything with me to trade either…" Haru sighed loudly, "The best thing we have going for us is the goggles and the coin…"

"Oh…that will go over real well," Taku snorted.

"We can try," Ren said as she looked up at Haru. "You never know."

"We want the locket!" shouted the monkeys loudly. Haru turned around suddenly.

"What?" Haru gaped in shock.

"We've decided, we'll trade you the pendant for the locket," said the middle monkey.

"What locket?" Haru accused loudly.

"The one you put in your pocket to try and hide it from us," called the middle monkey, "We're not blind, you know; we saw its shininess."

"Well, it's not up for trade, so just forget it!" shouted Haru.

"Well, then our business here is done," the monkeys retorted in annoyance, "Go away! You're not welcome!"

"Haru…you're parents already think the locket's lost…so it won't hurt if it really did get lost," hissed Kisho under his breath.

"No…there's an underlying principle…I'm not trading this locket," Haru returned.

"Haru they have us under a barrel…" Kisho growled. "This is the only way to get the…"

"No, it's not, we could beat the tag and crest out of them," Haru replied quietly. "We have them out numbered and if we had our digimon digivolve, they'd be no match…"

"No, don't even think about it," Ren hissed loudly, "That's even more wrong than trading your parents' locket."

"No it's not, those guys are thieves, I'm not giving my parents' locket to thieves," Haru snarled quietly to Ren.

"Haru, give up the stupid locket, it's just a piece of metal with a picture in it, you can replace it," Taku whispered.

"No I can't!" Haru glared at Taku, "My parents…my father…our father…is…well…"

"He's away on a ship," Jiro piped up. "He's been gone for a long time…and he sends letters sometimes…"

Haru looked at Jiro quietly and then sighed, "Yeah…he's on a ship…and he'll be gone a long, long time…" The others looked at Haru. The boy's eyes watered slightly and he wiped his eyes, "We can't trade the locket, we just can't!"

"Well…maybe if we took the picture out…I mean then it's just the metal, you could replace that…" Kisho said quietly.

"Let me see it," Ren said as she took the locket forcibly from Haru. The boy gasped and made a grab for it but the girl turned and blocked the grab. "See…it came right out…" Ren turned around and handed Haru the picture. "Now we can trade the locket."

"No!" Haru growled, "No, no, no, no!"

"Haru, stop being stubborn about it!" Kisho shouted as he grabbed the blonde.

"Kisho, my dad's dead!" Haru hissed at Kisho.

The brunette flinched and his face contorted into shock as he looked into the blonde's blue eyes. "What?"

"My father is dead," whispered Haru, "Jiro doesn't know…"

"I don't get it, how could he not know…?" Kisho looked at Haru blankly.

"Mom…" Haru sighed quietly, "My mother…is having problems…she's been writing the letters, and sending them to Jiro…she doesn't want to upset him…"

"Haru…don't you think…" Kisho looked back at the boy, who was holding Koromon.

"Kisho…" Haru looked in Kisho's brown eyes, "It's not my decision to make…it's up to my mother's…"

"Haru…" Kisho twisted his eyebrows. He looked over at the monkeys, "We're not trading the locket. Now, you can have the goggles, the coin or the goggles and the coin but not the locket; we're not trading the locket."

"We don't want that we want the locket!" shouted the monkeys.

"TOO BAD!" shouted Kisho, "You know we put up with a lot of cack from you…first you attack us in that forest, then we chase you all over this island, and now you won't trade fairly, now you'll either trade with what we offer or we'll take the tag and crest by force, it's your choice! You can either get shiny goggles and a coin or you can leave here with bruises and a broken spleen. Either way we're leaving with the tag and crest!"

"Kisho…what are you doing?" Taku looked at the brunette.

"Keep out of this," Kisho returned stoutly as he flashed a glare at Taku. His eyes returned to the monkeys, "Koemon, I'm going to give you till the count of five!"

"How about I give them the count of now…" said a rolling voice.

Kisho growled and looked up at the wall. Volcamon was standing on the edge of the wall. A long theater cloak wafted behind him, and a misshaped mask on his face.

"Volcamon…" the children and their digimon gasped.

"And me!" shouted a voice as a yellow dollop hopped up on the ridge. He lifted his arms and threw a ball on the ground. Smoke filled the air and as it disappeared Volcamon and the dollop were gone. There was a flash of smoke and this time they reappeared beside the monkeys.

"Yon Koemon, make the smart choice…" chuckled Volcamon as he walked up to the monkeys and pulled out a watch on a golden chain. He drew his microphone up with his other hand. "See the watch, Koemon?" The monkey's looked at the watch and Volcamon smiled, "Good…"

"Watch out!" shouted the children.

A slow, haunting tone thrummed from Volcamon's throat, the watch slowly swept back and forth in tune, "Sing once again with me, our strange duet, my power over you, grows stronger yet…and though you turn from me to glance behind….THE Phantom of the opera is there…inside your mind…"

The monkeys looked up at the metal man. They tilted their heads. The middle one walked forward, "Are you going to give us that watch?"

"What?" Volcamon looked flustered and took a step back.

"The watch, are you going to trade it for the pendant?" asked the middle monkey.

"What, no, I got this at the Great Coliseum! I wouldn't give it to you scum!" Volcamon shouted in disgust. "Give me that pendant!"

"Never! It's out treasure!" the monkeys leapt back defensively.

"Then you'll need persuading!" growled Volcamon. He lifted his microphone and very smoothly, and unthreateningly he started to sing again, "Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world! Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before! Let your soul take you where you long to be! Only then can you belong to me…" The Koemon looked up at Volcamon in a daze. The metallic man slowly inched forward reaching for the tag and crest. His voice continued in its soothing tones. "Floating, falling, sweet intoxication! Touch me, trust me, savour each sensation! Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in to the power of the music that I write - the power of the music of the night…"

The middle Koemon lifted the tag and crest from his neck.

"No!" shouted Haru. "We have to stop him!"

"Guilmon digivolve to, Raptordramon!" the red dragon glowed and then charged forward as he morphed into the yellow scaled cyborg dragon.

"DORUmon digivolve to DORUgamon!" the little, lavender kangaroo fox sprouted wings and grew into a larger kangaroo dragon and roared forward.

The Koemon snapped the heads up and ran from Volcamon as he reached out to snatch the crest. Volcamon roared as the monkeys scurried away. He started to chase after them when the thick tail of DORUgamon slammed into his chest throwing the metallic volcano man backward. Raptordramon pinned Volcamon to the ground and opened his mouth releasing a blast of electricity into the man.

"Fools!" Volcamon slapped Raptordramon from him. He lifted his microphone, "Feel the wrath of my song!"

"Try to sing without your microphone!" shouted the Koemon. "Baby Sling!" little metal balls shot from the slingshots the Koemon held and struck Volcamon's hand knocking the microphone to the ground. The metal digimon turned to pick it up but the monkey digimon were faster and snatched it up. "This is our treasure now!"

"You'll wish you hadn't done that!" growled Volcamon. Volcamon grabbed the theater cloak around his shoulders and tossed it off, revealing the metal armor on his shoulders. "I usually don't like to get rough…but when dealing with ruffians…" Volcamon charged forward.

"Get out of the way!" shouted Raptordramon and DORUgamon as they dove in front of Volcamon, and were thrown aside like toys. The monkeys screeched and then ran from the metal digimon.

"Renamon..." Ren looked up at the fox.

"DemiDevimon, help them!" shouted Taku loudly.

"Right!" the two digimon leapt down, glowing brightly.

"DemiDevimon digivolve to…" The round bat digimon glowed as he dove and grew.

"Renamon digivolve to…" Renamon light shifted and morphed as the fox raced down the mountain side.

"ExVeemon!" DemiDevimon pulled out the dive emerging as the gray fleshed dragon.

"Ebidramon!" Renamon leapt into the air and turned into a large lobster like dragon.

ExVeemon grabbed Volcamon from behind as Ebidramon rushed past Volcamon and swept around lifting her claw. The metal digimon roared in anger and thrust ExVeemon over his shoulders and into Ebidramon sending both crashing into the ground.

"For a pansy artist…he's sure strong…" growled ExVeemon as he got up.

"Don't judge a book…" grunted Ebidramon as she lifted her legs.

"Yeah, yeah!" growled ExVeemon as he took flight.

"Is that the best you have?" laughed Volcamon. "Then you are no threat to me!"

"I'll show you!" growled ExVeemon. He crossed his arms over his chest, "V Laser!"

The cross of energy smashed into Volcamon. The dust faded and Volcamon was still there.

"Twin Neptune!" aqua colored bolts exploded over Volcamon. The bolts plinked off his mineralized body.

"Power Metal!" a golden ball bearing crashed into Volcamon and the metal digimon staggered slightly but caught the ball.

"Does the dragon want to fetch?" chuckled Volcamon as he threw the ball bearing back at DORUgamon sending the furred dragon crashing to the ground.

"Ambush Crunch!" missiles shot from Raptordramon's chassis and exploded around Volcamon. The singer just walked through them like they were rain drops.

"Now where are those monkeys?" growled Volcamon as he stepped through the divots and explosions.

888

"We gotta get away with our treasures!" yelped the first Koemon. He was the biggest the alpha of the group. He looked at the other two. The one on the left was the youngest the one on the right the second youngest.

"Yeah, let's run, we can come back for the rest of the shinies after they leave," said the youngest Koemon.

"But what if they destroy them?" asked the second youngest.

"I don't know…I guess we find new shinies…" said the youngest.

"But the island's small there aren't many shinies!" yelped the second youngest.

"As the oldest, I think, that it's better that we take what we have, and run; it's better to be safe than beat up!" chirped the alpha with a smile.

"Better," nodded the youngest.

"Better," nodded the second youngest.

"We'll come back later," nodded the alpha.

"Later," nodded the youngest.

"Later," nodded the youngest.

"Hand over the microphone!" shouted a voice.

"Hand over the microphone!" nodded the youngest.

"Hand over the microphone!" nodded the second youngest.

The youngest and second youngest blinked. "Huh?"

"I said give it back!" shouted the voice again, "Maestro Volcamon wants his microphone and what he wants, he gets!"

The monkeys turned to find a yellow digimon looming over them.

"Our…" started the alpha, but he couldn't finish as Sukamon knocked the three monkeys' heads together.

The monkeys fell unconscious on the ground and Sukamon grabbed them up in one hand and picked up the microphone in the other and started bounding back to the battle.

"I win…" chuckled Sukamon as he hopped back.

888

"Lobster Step!" roared Ebidramon. Volcamon caught the claw of the crustacean and slid back as Ebidramon pushed.

"Critical Crunch!" ExVeemon dove down and swept his fist against Volcamon's head. The combination of the two sent the metal digimon rolling backward.

"That's it! Work together!" shouted Kisho loudly.

"Power Metal!" roared DORUgamon.

"Crash Charge!" roared Raptordramon. A ball of gold and lightning smashed into Volcamon as he tried to get up.

"We've got him on the ropes!" cheered Jiro.

DORUgamon leapt behind Volcamon. The metal digimon spun around and was met with a heavy tail that slammed him backward into the waiting claws of Ebidramon. The volcano on Volcamon's back cracked as the metal digimon crashed to his knees.

"V Laser!" roared ExVeemon as he rose up to the right of Volcamon.

"Ambush Crunch!" growled Raptordramon as he fired his salvo of missiles from Volcamon's left.

"Maestro Volcamon, catch!" shouted a voice. The children looked up to see a yellow digimon tossing something down to Volcamon. Volcamon snatched the object and the attacks hit.

The children looked up as the dust whirled around. The yellow digimon was sliding down the side of the bowl-shaped clearing. The Koemon were in his hands. The children gulped loudly as the dust started to clear.

"Why so silent, messieurs?" whispered a voice quietly as it rose in the dusts' shadows. "Did you think that I left you for good? Have you missed me, good messieurs?" A pair of glowing red eyes pierced the dust. His voice shook and grew angry, "I have written you an opera!" A pulse of energy washed the dust away and tossed the destined digimon to the ground. "Here I bring the final score!" Ebidramon was slammed against the wall of the bowel and fizzled to Renamon. "DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT!" A stream of sound waves crashed into ExVeemon and smashed against the opposite wall flashing back to DemiDevimon. DORUgamon dove down and thrust his feet forward. "I advise you to comply…my instructions should be clear Remember there are worse things than a shattered chandelier…" DORUgamon was sent spiraling through the air and then exploding into the earth. DORUmon whimpered as he crawled out of the crater. Volcamon turned slowly and looked up at the Koemon. The yellow digimon holding them laid the monkeys on the ground. Volcamon lifted his free hand and beckoned them forward. "Your chains are still mine; you will sing for me!" The middle Koemon slowly staggered forward in a half sleep.

"NO!" shouted Haru loudly. "Raptordramon!"

"Crash Charge!" roared Raptordramon. The blast of lightning seared the air and exploded into Volcamon. Streamers of electricity snapped across Volcamon's surface.

"You won't take that tag and crest; we won't let you manipulate others! Volcamon, or Arkadimon or whoever is in control, leave!" shouted Haru loudly.

"Crash Charge!" roared Raptordramon loudly as electricity snapped over the dragon's surface and fired forward in one concentrated blast.

"NO!" shouted Volcamon as he lifted his arm. The blast exploded around Volcamon tossing the metal digimon backward.

"We've got him now…it's time to finish this once and for all," Haru clutched his fists. "One more should do it!"

"No, Maestro!" shouted the yellow digimon that had given Volcamon his microphone back.

The yellow dollop bounded to Volcamon, who was lying prone on the ground. The yellow digimon turned to the digi-destined "You may have won today! But the war is ours!"

The yellow digimon lifted his arm and threw large smoke bombs onto the ground. The bowl filled with smoke and the digi-destine coughed loudly and dropped to the ground. By the time the smoke cleared Volcamon, his companion and any sign of their whereabouts were gone. Raptordramon had reverted to Guilmon and the three Koemon were standing by the tree groggily looking down at the tag and crest in their possession.

"Here…" said the middle Koemon. "Take it…" The monkey threw the tag and crest at Haru, "We don't want it anymore…"

"Huh?" Haru caught the pendant and looked at it. It had the emblem of a cross on it.

"It's too dangerous for us; we don't want the responsibility…especially with psychos like that singer around," the monkey said. "So take it, it's not worth anything to us anymore…even for a shiny, it's far too dangerous for us to take care of…now get out!" The three monkeys brought their slingshots forward, "GO!"

"Jeesh, talk about your hospitality," grumbled Taku loudly.

"Don't knock it…we got what we're looking for and nearly kicked Volcamon's butt, I'd say this has been a good day," smiled Kisho broadly.

"You can say that because you were thrown around by songs…" grumbled DemiDevimon as he perched on Taku's head.

"Less talky, more walky!" shouted the monkeys.

"Ok, ok, we're going!" shouted Kisho as he and the other digi-destined walked off, their digimon slowly staggering after him.

888

It was evening. The first stars glimmered softly as the sun sunk below the horizon. The others were gathering food. Haru was tending to the fire. The flames crackled quietly as he poked the kindling. Guilmon yawned quietly. Haru lifted the tag and crest up to the sky.

"The night…is beautiful here," whispered Haru as the combination of firelight and starlight glinted off the edges of the tag and crest.

**888**

**AN: Small note, I was unable to get a proper sample of Why so Silent which is why it's probably not the most awesome. Oh and sorry for the long wait. Actually this chapter was supposed to be more light-hearted…but I don't think it turned out that way…at all… **

**Dark: Kisho's crest is…a crest. None of them are new ones, save maybe one…but it will be explained…later. Just not now, hopefully Haru's crest is easier to figure out. **

**Blue: I fixed the mistake, and as to giving away the crests that kills half the fun…maybe…It'll come out later. **


	21. The Chalices Dark and Light

**I don't own digimon**

**The Chalices Dark and Light**

**888**

"Maestro Volcamon?" Sukamon hopped up towards the bed the metal digimon was lying in. "It is morning…"

"Do not wake me, Sukamon, I am weary from yesterday's concert," growled the digimon as he turned from the yellow dollop. "I must…rest."

"Of course my lord, shall I gather food for the morning meal?" asked Sukamon as he picked up a tattered theater cloak.

"Nay, I shall not partake of food till the noontime hour," groaned the voice of the singer. "Please, Sukamon, go and tend to other parts of the hut…I must rest."

"Of course Maestro," Sukamon said as he turned from the bed, "Shall I expect us to search for the children again?"

"Not this day…" growled the metal digimon. "My voice grows hoarse…I shall not be able to utilize it this day."

"I will make sure your lozenges are in your tea, when you awaken then," Sukamon left the bedroom quietly.

"Sukamon, one day, you shall be a great singer…" Volcamon's voice said quietly.

"I endeavor to be…" Sukamon replied as he disappeared behind the reed doorway cover.

888

"I still don't see why we needed to get up extra-early to find the next tag and crest," grumbled Ren as she walked slowly behind the others.

"Because, we don't want to have Volcamon get his hands on them!" Kisho replied as he led the group. "It's especially important we start searching soon because we have no clue where the next ones are. If Volcamon got his hands on them…or Arkadimon…well we don't know what kind of chaos they could invoke…"

"We don't even know what they do," Taku said as he looked at the pendant that hung around Kisho's neck.

"I've been thinking about it…" Haru said as he looked at his own tag and crest. "Volcamon is a powerful digimon on his own…right?"

"I think he's an Ultimate digimon," Renamon replied as she walked next to Ren.

"Yeah, and our digimon can only reach their Champion forms…" Haru looked at the tag and crest, "They could be some sort of extra power source to make our digimon digivolve again…"

"Again?" Kisho whispered as he looked at the pendant. The small arms attached to the round body of the inscription of the crest glinted in the morning light. "I wonder what DORUmon digivolves into?"

"Well, if they get any bigger, they'll need to eat an entire field to give the proper amount of energy," Haru said quietly.

"Volcamon isn't that big though, so…" Taku looked at DemiDevimon, "Wouldn't it be a kicker if you turned into some knight or angel or something like that?"

"Pah, an angel?" DemiDevimon frowned at the thought, "Those yucky goody goods with the perfect hair and perfect butt and the perfect everything?"

"Not all angels are good," Jiro said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Koromon looked down at Jiro from his perched position on the boy's head.

"Well, there was this one story that my dad used to tell…about an angel named Lucifer," Jiro said quietly, "He was one of the bestest angels and then he turned evil because he thought he was better than God…"

"Huh, well maybe being an angel wouldn't be so bad," said DemiDevimon quietly as he glided after Taku.

"He was caste into Hell for declaring war against God…" Haru said quietly.

"Why didn't you say that before?" yelped DemiDevimon loudly.

"That's…a really interesting story," Ren replied quietly, "Why does it seem so familiar…"

"Your dad sounds like a neat guy," Taku said as he smiled at Jiro.

"I miss my dad," Jiro sighed quietly.

Kisho looked up at Haru. The blonde haired boy winced slightly and then looked at the ground and trudged onward. Guilmon and DORUmon were hanging back next to Jiro and Koromon. Kisho slowed slightly and wandered next to Haru.

"You know…" Kisho whispered as he stepped quietly next to Haru.

"No…" Haru said quietly.

"Why not, your mom isn't here, you can't keep letting this lie continue," Kisho said as he walked along. "In the long run he's not going to be happy…you can't hide this forever."

"I can hide it long enough…" Haru replied, "This is neither the time nor the place to tell him…"

"How…how did he…?" Kisho looked at Haru quietly.

"Not quite sure…all we know is he was in port at Hong Kong and he was shot," Haru glared down at the ground. "That's all we know…that's all they said. Mother said it was best we not ask questions."

"I just don't get it…why haven't you had a…" Kisho looked at Haru. The boy's eyes closed and a trickle of tears streamed down his cheek.

"Funeral? The local government won't release his…" Haru sniffed and rubbed his eyes, "I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Sure…" whispered Kisho quietly as he walked next to Haru. "You're taking it very well…though."

"I have to…" Haru said quietly, "I'm the man of the house now…I have to stay strong. It's my responsibility. My mother is relying on me."

"Hey, you two?" Ren shouted loudly. The boys looked up. Jiro and Taku were gone.

"Where did…they go?" Kisho asked as he looked around.

"Their rocks went off at the same time," Ren shouted, "They ran off to get them!"

"We have to find them!" Kisho yelped as he ran toward Ren.

Renamon turned her head and pointed. "They are this way, Guilmon and DORUmon ran after them, and of course DemiDevimon and Koromon."

"Well, let's not just stand here, let's go," Haru shouted as he pushed past. Haru cupped his hands and shouted forward. "WAIT FOR US!"

The group of humans and digimon ran down a solid, dirt path that cut through the forest, which seemed to dominate the majority of the island's non-mountainous areas. The path widened as the trees parted like centurions in the path of an emperor.

Renamon seized up and stopped. Ren and the others spun around. The fox looked down the path. Her icy blue eyes were wide in fear. Her leg and arm muscles twitched through her golden fur.

"What's wrong?" Kisho asked impatiently.

"It's….Him…" Renamon whispered. Her trapped voice was barely audible over the light breeze that drifted through the forest.

"Him, who?" Haru looked at Renamon his eyes sternly fixed on the fox.

"Lu…Lu…Lu…" Renamon stuttered quietly, her eyes froze in a forward gaze.

"Lucemon?" Ren offered quietly.

The fox didn't even wince; she just slowly nodded in silence. She pointed weakly down the path, "He's…that…way…"

"That's where Taku and Jiro went, isn't it?" Kisho said as he turned.

Renamon nodded slowly.

"We've got to get there!" shouted Haru as he turned and ran down the path.

"Wait for me!" shouted Kisho as he ran after the blonde.

Ren looked up at Renamon, "Are…you ok?"

"We have to do this…" Renamon said. The fox took a deep breath and clenched her paws into fists. "Let's go."

"Only if you want to…" Ren looked at the fox.

"We must, our friends are that way," Renamon said assuredly and took Ren's hand, "I won't be as afraid if you were with me."

Ren nodded and the two rushed after the boys.

The scene they found was one of sheer bewilderment. DemiDevimon and Koromon were on the ground knocked out. Guilmon and DORUmon were looking at the air in front of them. A large church rested at the end of the path. It was painted white, but the windows were all black, and the doors were blood red. A single, black, bell tower rose into the sky its pointed peak aimed at the sky like a spear.

"What happened?" shouted Haru loudly as he ran forward, "Where's Jiro?"

"In there…" Guilmon pointed to the church.

"I've got to get him!" Haru ran forward. Guilmon and DORUmon grabbed the boy and tackled him to the ground. Haru swore loudly and struggled, "GET OFF ME!"

"You can't go!" shouted Guilmon.

"I HAVE TO!" shouted Haru angrily as he kicked at the two digimon.

"No…" Renamon barked. Haru stopped struggling, blinked and looked up. The fox walked calmly forward and stopped a few meters from the church. Renamon reached forward and extended a claw. There was a sharp snap as streaks of lightning shot over a dome around the church and exploded against the claw. Renamon winced as the electrical surge snapped her finger. A ripple flowed quietly over the surface. Renamon looked down at Haru, "There is a very stout barrier…Koromon and DemiDevimon must have collided with it, chasing after the boys…"

"We have to get in there!" Haru shouted loudly.

"There has to be a way into the church," Kisho said quietly as he looked at the building.

"This barrier was made to keep people out…and to keep someone in…" Renamon whispered quietly as she looked at the doors of the church.

"Is…He…in there?" Ren asked as she sidled up to the fox.

"He…is there," Renamon replied with a gulp. "He's in a state of flux…I can feel him groggily trying to reach out to us…it's a most horrible sensation…I can't stay here…"

"We have to get in there and save them," Haru repeated in annoyance.

"Haru…wait," Kisho whispered. "Maybe Taku will get them out."

"That fool?" Haru glared at Kisho. "I wouldn't trust him with my lunch, let alone my brother!"

"We must retreat…" Renamon declared as she trembled and staggered slightly backward, "His power…is overwhelming…"

Renamon took Ren in her arms and leapt backward, retreating back toward the forest.

Kisho gently took Haru's arm. "It will do no good if we're out of it, we can always come back; let's just retreat to formulate a plan."

Haru growled loudly. "I'm not leaving Jiro behind!"

"We're not leaving anyone, but even I'm starting to feel weird here!" Kisho returned as his eyes focused and unfocused. A bead of sweat slid from his temple down his cheek and he held his stomach. "I don't know how long I'm going to be able to hold breakfast down if we stay here, but I know it's not going to be much longer. Don't you feel it?"

Haru glared forward and frowned, gritting his teeth, "I can't…let that stop me…"

"Guilmon, DORUmon get DemiDevimon and Koromon out of here," Kisho instructed as he waved them back to where Renamon was standing impatiently. Kisho tightened his grip on Haru's arm, "Look, I don't want to retreat either, but we don't have a choice, this place…" Kisho covered his mouth as a silent belch rolled up his throat, "I can't hack it any more…we gotta get out of here, now!"

"Go, I'm staying," Haru snorted.

"I know you're feeling it…" Kisho said quietly, "come on, we're getting out of here."

"No, did you not hear me?" growled Haru loudly. He turned around and glared at Kisho.

"You didn't hear me…" Kisho whispered and a tightened fist crashed into Haru's stomach. The blonde's blue eyes bugged out and then he collapsed onto Kisho. Kisho grunted and slowly dragged him from the church. He whispered quietly into Haru's ear, "I'm sorry, I had to do that, but I'm not letting you hurt yourself like that."

888

"Taku…maybe we should turn back," Jiro was huddled closely to Taku.

He looked around. The churchyard hadn't been as scary when they were running towards it, but up close, the grass wasn't really green, but more of a putrid brown; cracked grave markers seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The sky was no longer soft blue but had become a tumultuous black with crimson streaks slicing back and forth in harsh and jagged arcs.

"This storm came out of nowhere," Taku said quietly. He lifted his stone a black arrow flickered softly forward. "It's inside at least."

"Mine is, too," Jiro said as he huddled close. A snap of lightning sent the boy leaping on Taku's back, "I'm really scared…"

"Ugh…" grunted Taku as the excess weight sent him staggering forward. "It's ok, Jiro, I won't let anything bad happen…I think this place is deserted anyways…"

"I'd like to know where the others are…" Jiro whimpered as he looked back.

"Probably scouting about, don't worry," Taku as he walked slowly towards the church's large, wooden doors. Taku turned and looked at the smaller blonde haired boy, "Now, we're just here to get the tags and crests, so don't touch anything else, ok?"

"I won't touch anything!" Jiro gulped loudly.

Taku nodded and reached forward and grasped the door handle. A jolt shot through his hand and down his back. Jiro yelped loudly and fell to the ground.

"What the fu…" Taku stopped in mid-word and blanched as Jiro looked up at him. He moved his jaw around searching anxiously for a word to finish his exclamation, "fu…fu…funbuster was that?"

"It hurt…" Jiro said loudly.

"Well, duh," Taku replied. He turned and grabbed the door handle. Nothing happened, Taku shrugged his shoulders "Hmm, must've been static…"

The door swung open with a loud, resonating creak. Taku took a step in and then waved Jiro to join him. The inside of the church was dark. It smelled of dust and Jiro sneezed heavily when he first entered the building. Taku disappeared into the shadows. Jiro instantly started to whimper and turn slowly in circles.

"Taku, where are you?" Jiro called weakly into the darkness. "Taku….I can't see you, where'd you go?" Jiro turned in a tight circle as he searched into the impenetrable shadows. "TAKU!"

Jiro suddenly felt something behind him and he spun around.

"BOO!" shouted Taku as he appeared out of the shadows. Jiro screamed loudly and leapt backward. Taku instantly reached forward and caught the boy's hand, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…well I did, but I didn't think you were that scared…"

"I'm sorry, Taku," Jiro sniffled quietly as he looked down.

"What are you sorry for?" Taku said indignantly as he looked at the boy's bowed head.

"For being a scaredy cat," replied Jiro quietly.

"Awe jeesh, you're not a scaredy cat, this place is creepier than hel…ck," said Taku, stumbling slightly at the end of the sentence. He smiled and lifted his arms. "Look, I found some candles though, so it won't be so bad, at least." Taku hands held two candlesticks; each candlestick held a pasty, white candle in them. "And some matches, they're in my pocket," Taku twisted his right hip slightly to indicate the matches' location, "Actually, how about you hold the candles, and I light them…"

Taku gave Jiro the candles. He reached into his pocket and produced a matchbook and then struck one of the chemically enhanced twigs. It sparked to life releasing an orange glow. It was a small glow and Taku was quick to gently touch the flame of the match to the wick of the candles. The two new flames seemed to thrust their light outward as Taku waved his match out, effectively ending the match's life.

The newly revealed room was barren. The walls were painted black. Small candle stands were positioned in nooks on the wall. Taku slowly walked up to one and lit it with his candle. This sparked a sudden domino effect that resulted in all the candles in the entry room to light. Jiro started to chatter quietly.

"Don't worry, probably just a parlor trick to scare off vandals," said Taku as he looked around. "Ugly isn't it…even with the candles lit its dark in here…" He pulled his stone from his pocket, "Right…mine is upstairs…"

"Huh?" Jiro looked up as Taku started up the stairs.

"My tag and crest is upstairs," said Taku as he turned back to Jiro. "What about yours?"

"It's…" Jiro eyes looked down. The boy gulped and looked forward at a pair of large doors with stained-glass windows, "in the chapel…"

"Well, it will be faster if we go separately," said Taku. Jiro looked up at Taku. The blonde's blue eyes were watering and his frame was shivering. Taku sighed slightly and descended the stairs. "Trust me, I won't let you get hurt, this place is abandoned. The only things in here are mice and spiders, all the little tricks with the candles and such, are just that, tricks, nothing will hurt you. So stop worrying, nothing bad will happen, and the faster you get your tag and crest the faster you can leave."

"O…ok," Jiro whispered weakly as he walked up to the chapel doors. He looked up at Taku. The black haired boy was already disappearing up the stairwell, the glow from his candle fading into the shadows. Jiro gulped quietly, "I can do this, I just have to not be afraid…Taku's my friend he wouldn't lie to me." Jiro pushed the doors open.

The chapel was a beautiful room, indescribably different than the entry room. The walls were all made of some form of golden ivory. Large, crystal chandeliers hung from the spacious ceiling, releasing a gentle radiance. The ceiling itself was a beautiful mural of the sky, so perfect that Jiro almost thought it was the real sky; the clouds even lazily shifted across the paint. The pews on either side of the aisle had satin cushions, colored in soft gold. At the head of the chapel was a large altar of sorts. There was a dais that lifted into a large thick, median that was carved with elaborate designs. Jiro walked slowly down the aisle his feet gently buffeted by the crimson carpet. He walked up a pair of steps as he approached the altar. That's when he noticed that the altar wasn't an altar. It was a large stand that held a marble coffin.

The lid of the coffin was made of glass, and Jiro looked down and shook slightly. There was a little boy lying in the coffin. The boy's face was pale and his eyes were closed. The child's hair was blonde and curled. His skin had dark lines that traced out designs on his body; which was partially covered by a toga. Upon further inspection Jiro noticed that the boy had wings, most of the wings were folded tightly under his body, but a pair, sprouted from his head, was slightly unfurled.

Jiro gulped and staggered back slightly. He feverishly looked at his stone and saw that the yellowish arrow pointed forward. Jiro gulped and looked up. Beyond the coffin was a true altar. A large mirror was on the marble surface of the altar. The mirror was oval in shape and unbelievably clear. The edges of the mirror were made in silver and, like the side of the coffin, were intricately shaped, though this time into the form of four spokes. The spokes made the mirror look like the intersection of a cross. The spokes were intricately formed into the shape of suns and planets that spread out from the mirror face. On top of the spoke pointing upward was a pendant dangling over the mirror.

Jiro stood looking worriedly at the tag and crest, hanging from the mirror. He finally walked towards the altar. He leapt helplessly trying to grab the pendant. He sighed and then proceeded to stare at the tag and crests hoping to will them down, of course the tags and crests didn't budge a centimeter. Jiro looked around cautiously and finding that no one was near. He hefted a leg up on the altar and proceeded to scramble onto the marble surface. Jiro looked in the mirror and quirked and eyebrow. There was nothing being reflected in the mirror. Jiro shook his head and grasped the tag and crest and pulled them down. He was about to turn and run for the entry way when his curiosity took hold and he turned again. The mirror's lack of reflection intrigued him and he reached out slowly and slid the palm of his hand over the surface of the mirror.

"The contents have been emptied," said a voice suddenly from behind Jiro.

The boy jumped and slipped, falling from the altar. He grunted as he body crashed to the floor. Jiro looked up in the direction the voice had come from. His voice shook and his eyes widened. A boy was standing in front of him. The child's hair was blonde and a pair of dazzling blue eyes looked down at Jiro. Soft white skin covered the boy's frame and matched an equally white toga. The child stepped forward, which prompted Jiro to slide back.

"Please…" Jiro curled up in a ball and lifted his arms.

"Fear not…" said the boy quietly, "I come not to harm thee, rise to your feet."

"You're a ghost; you're that child in the coffin!" Jiro retorted loudly. "Ghosts aren't real!"

"I'm not a ghost," said the child as he turned and looked in the coffin, "I'm just not in my body…" The boy turned. "I am not that which lies sleeping in the coffin."

"What are you?" Jiro slowly stood up and looked at the child in curiosity.

"I am Kougen, a spirit of that body," replied the boy quietly as he looked down at the body in the coffin. Jiro looked at the child, and noticed it didn't have the wings that the angel in coffin had. The child's sapphire eyes fell upon Jiro and saw large black and blue mark on Jiro's arm. "You are injured!"

"It's ok…it's just a brui…" started Jiro, but Kougen grasped the boy's arm. There was a soft glow that emanated from the spirit's hands. Jiro's skin warmed and tingled. Kougen released Jiro and the digi-destined looked at his arm, "The bruise…it's gone…"

The child inclined his head slightly. "I healed you; that is the way of the light, it mends…It heals."

"Maybe you can help us, we are fighting all these bad guys and we could really use someone that could fix our injuries," Jiro looked up at the boy.

"I can not leave this place," Kougen looked into the coffin, "my soul is bound to this body, without the proper incantations and spells, without the proper sacrifices, I will remain here, trapped."

"Maybe we can help you," Jiro said as he walked up to the child.

Kougen looked up at Jiro. "Your aura…is very familiar," Kougen took a step forward and gently put his hand on Jiro's cheek. The spirit's eyes widened in shock, "You're…you're…the Chalice of Light!"

"The what?" Jiro blurted loudly.

"You could purify my brother, you could repair him and fix his soul," Kougen said quietly.

"Wait, I don't know what you're talking about, what's this about light," Jiro looked at Kougen his eyes wide in confusion.

"You are the Chalice of Light, one of the outsiders called to save this world," Kougen replied. He looked in Jiro's eyes, "You aren't alone are you? No, you couldn't be…the other must be with you."

"Well, there's Taku…" Jiro said as he uncomfortably met Kougen's gaze, "but he went up to the balcony to get his tag and crest…"

"No, he mustn't go up there," Kougen said, "We must go and fix things first or there will be nothing but ill work done!"

"He's already gone upstairs," Jiro said quickly.

"We may still have time! We must hurry, come with me!" Kougen grabbed Jiro's arm and pulled him up the aisle.

888

Taku sighed as he pushed open a set of heavy wooden doors. He expected to come upon a large balcony, but instead he entered a large chapel of sorts. There were no pews just a large room. The floor was made of ebony wood; the walls were covered in red drapery. At the far end of the room, an altar was constructed. It was born of black onyx. A large mirror dominated the altar. The metal surrounding the mirror was black and reached out in four spokes which were molded into the shapes of planets and suns. The room was lit with red candles that lined the walls.

"Yeah, these guys go all out when it comes to creepy," Taku snorted as he looked up. The pendant he was looking for was hanging from the top spoke of the mirror. "There you are."

Taku climbed up on the table top of the altar and reached up grabbing the tag and crest. He looked down into the mirror. There was no reflection. Taku smirked slightly and then climbed down. He turned to leave and stopped. A sudden chill ran up his spine and touched the base of his skull. He turned slowly.

"You aren't afraid of the dark are you?" chuckled a voice from the shadows. Taku growled and clenched his fists and turned slowly around searching the darkness for the voice's owner.

"I'm not afraid of anything, least of all the dark!" Taku returned sharply.

"That is what you say," whispered the voice. There was a breeze that swept around Taku. The boy spun around and glared into the darkness. "But that's not what you feel…"

"Show yourself, coward!" shouted Taku loudly.

"I don't know if you would want that…" whispered the voice.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Taku's eyes darted around in the darkness. His arms were raised and his legs were tensed.

"You should be," the voice said from behind Taku.

Taku swirled around and standing there was a child. The child was slightly shorter than Taku. Its eyes were dark, blacker than his. The hair was equally dark. A black toga fell over the child's frame, and sharply contrasted against the child's skin, which was pale save for the long, jagged, black lines that ran down his cheek, chest and arms.

"You're nothing but a little brat!" Taku shouted loudly. He clenched his fists.

"You are angry," smiled the child quietly as he proceeded forward, "You should be angry…those that brought you here have no sympathy for you."

"What are you talking about?" Taku growled as he took a step back.

"They do not realize that you are different," said the boy as he walked closer. Taku continued to retreat as the child moved closer. Taku blinked and the child was gone.

"Different?" Taku whispered.

"Yes," said the child's voice. Taku jumped and spun around. The boy had been standing inches behind him. "You are the Chalice of Darkness. You are different than the others. They fear you, they dislike you; they find you unappealing."

"No they don't!" Taku growled loudly.

"They're scared of your power," replied the boy. "They are envious of you; they hate you with all their might."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" shouted Taku loudly.

"That's it, feed the darkness of your heart, take in that doubt," smiled the child.

"Shut up!" shouted Taku loudly.

Taku clenched his fist and then spontaneously punched forward. The child caught the fist in his hand. Taku's eyes widened as the child tightened his grasp on Taku's hand. Taku dropped to his knees as the child continued to compress his hand around the digi-destined's.

"Feel the hatred boiling in your heart, feel the pain and the fear, feel it all in the shadows," the child smirked quietly as he looked down Taku's widened eyes, "You are nearly ready, my child, for your purpose."

"I'm not doing anything for you," Taku gritted through his teeth as he tried to push to his feet.

"You already have," chuckled the boy, the child's eyes glowed softly as redness shimmered on the circumference of the black iris. "You're the goblet from which I shall drink my ambrosia of pain…I will be resurrected by the darkness that runs through your veins. I shall be free once more!"

"Like hell," growled Taku as he threw his other fist up. The knuckles of his hand smashed against the boy's, frigid cheek. The boy didn't budge. A cold smile cut across his lips.

The child splayed the fingers of his free hand and pulled it back. "I drinketh from this goblet of darkness. I shall be free!"

The child's fingers flew forward and Taku gasped as he felt his skin punctured in his chest. He shuddered and screamed as the child's hand grasped his heart. The child dropped Taku's fist and clasped the digi-destined's head and pushed it back so that Taku was looking up at him.

"Let…me…go…" gasped Taku between the agonizing beats of his constricted heart.

"Not until I have had every last drop!" replied the child as he looked deep in Taku's eyes.

"I'm not going to give into you," Taku shouted as he felt his heart compress. He winced and screamed loudly.

"You have no choice, accept your fate, your darkness will be mine!" replied the child.

He emphasized his point by twisting the hand plunged in Taku's chest. Taku shrieked in agony as his heart stuttered. Taku's head dropped but the child lifted his head by the hair. Taku's eyes rolled groggily around in their place, unfocused.

"Can't…let…" Taku's voice disappeared in his throat.

"TAKU!" shouted a young voice. The child turned its head sharply and hissed.

Taku's head lolled forward and saw the swimming, wavy visage of Jiro wobbling forward.

"Get…away…" Taku gasped as he tried to put his hands on the child holding him.

Large, black wings unfurled from the back of the boy that held Taku. Taku felt his body drop to the ground as the child took to the air. Jiro ran to Taku and held him up.

"Taku, are you ok?" Jiro said feverishly as he looked in the other digi-destined's eyes. "Talk to me!"

Taku limply lifted his hand and touched Jiro's cheek, "Run…away…"

"No, not without you, you need medical help!" Jiro shouted as he pulled Taku up and draped the older boy's arm over his shoulder and slowly hoisted Taku to his feet. "I'm going to get you out of here…"

"He…wants me…run and he might not hurt you," hissed Taku quietly as he tried to struggle away from Jiro.

Jiro wouldn't listen and slowly dragged Taku towards the door of the chapel.

"I have to get you bandages and help; you're bleeding so badly…" Jiro grunted as he slowly moved forward, gently prompting Taku to take wobbly steps.

"I don't feel so good," whispered Taku quietly. One of his hands rose up to his chest and lifted his hand. Crimson fluid dripped from his fingers.

"We're almost out…" whispered Jiro as he lifted a hand to turn the door knob. "You have to hold on just a little longer, please, Taku…hold on…"

"Won't…let anything happen to you," Taku said quietly as Jiro opened the door and staggered out of the chapel. The stairs were slow in navigation, mainly since Taku's feet were slow to react and he had a hard time staying in step with Jiro's feet.

"You can't escape…" whispered a voice from the top of the stairs. "I shall consume you both!"

Jiro seemed to ignore the voice and only continued to move down the stairwell, stopping to rebalance Taku's weight against him.

"Why won't you leave me behind?" Taku whispered quietly, "you could escape…leave…he won't get you…"

"Be quiet…I'm not leaving you behind," Jiro returned. They turned a corner, "We're almost there, just a few more steps."

Taku winced and then his weight fell heavily against Jiro's shoulder. The smaller boy staggered and slipped on the steps and sent them both rolling into the entry way of the church. Jiro instantly got up and rolled Taku over.

"Taku, get up!" shouted Jiro as he shook the older boy. "Please! Don't give up…we're so close…"

"His wounds are extensive…" Jiro turned. Kougen was standing in the doorway of the chapel where Jiro had found his tag and crest.

"Is he…?" Jiro looked down at Taku.

"Not yet, but my brother has done significant damage…" Kougen stepped forward. He winced slightly as energy snapped across the doorframe. "I can help him…but I will need your help."

"My help?" Jiro looked up at Kougen as he struggled forward.

"If I go much further from my chapel I will lose my ability to stay in this form, I need an anchor…" Kougen winced again as he took another step forward. "Take my hand, Jiro…"

Jiro looked down at Taku. The boy's face was paler than normal. The muscles on his face twitched. Jiro looked down at Taku's shirt. It was soaked with blood that was seeping through it. Jiro stood up and ran to Kougen and took the boy's hand. It was like a wave of heat passed through his body. Jiro and Kougen then walked over to Taku.

"He's so hurt," Jiro whispered.

"The damage is severe…" said Kougen as he knelt down and placed his hands on Taku's chest. The boy looked up at Jiro, "Put your hands on mine…"

Jiro gulped and laid his hands over Kougen's. Their hands glowed softly. A pain shot up Jiro's hands and collected above his heart. It felt like someone was squishing his chest from the inside out. Jiro gritted his teeth as the burning spread from his chest in all directions.

"You're fixing him…?" chuckled a voice. The stairwell darkened. A wind swept through the lobby and blew out the candles. The only light was that of the hands on Taku's chest.

"He's coming…" Taku whispered quietly. "Run…away…"

"No, not until we have healed you," Jiro returned sharply.

"You can heal his physical injuries but you shall never repair the true damage of his heart," said the voice loudly as the darkness became even denser. "I have taken his heart and it is mine."

"No!" Jiro shouted to the darkness, "Taku's still Taku and he's leaving with me!"

The light faded from around Jiro's hands. Kougen looked up at Jiro, "He is healed."

"I shall have you all!" shouted the voice.

The shadows warped and a boy, who was the polar opposite of Kougen, appeared out of the shadows. The two boys looked identical, save the dark Kougen was now adorned with a six pairs of wings.

"Kage, you fed upon this child's spirit!" Kougen shouted in disgust. "How could you?"

"I wish to be free brother; don't you?" replied the winged boy as he walked forward, "I plan to be free, and I'll do anything to facilitate that! Now, move aside so I may finish what I started!"

Jiro shook Taku awake and they glared up at the winged child. Jiro stood up and blockaded the winged child from Taku, "No…Taku isn't going with you, he's going with me, and we're leaving!"

"You will never leave this place, I shall consume you both!" growled the winged child as he walked forward, "I shall reclaim my body, and I shall walk from this place, even if that means ripping you both apart!"

The winged boy lifted his hand and Jiro found himself being thrown across the lobby. Kougen leapt to his feet and looked back at Jiro. Jiro sat up groggily and shook off the attack. The winged child stepped forward and loomed over Taku looking at the boy hungrily. Taku was still woozy and could only slowly attempt to crawl backward.

"Run if you think you must, it only makes your soul more delicious…" the winged child took another step forward.

"Kage stop!" Kougen stepped between the winged child and Taku. "Don't do this! The point of being here was to be purified!"

"Fool, we'll never be pure, we must take our chance and get free!" growled the winged child as he pushed Kougen aside. The winged child knelt down putting a knee on Taku's stomach. "It's time; I have a drink to finish…"

"Don't do it!" shouted Jiro loudly.

"Silence!" The winged child glared up Jiro and the boy was pressed against the wall. "I have not time for your goody good belly aching!"

"If you're going to do it; do it," Taku hissed quietly under his breath.

"I'm glad you finally decided to accept your destiny," said the winged child as he smiled.

"KAGE STOP!" The winged child looked up as Kougen leapt forward tackling the dark angel. The two rolled on the ground, scuffling.

"Taku!" Jiro ran up to the older boy, "Come on, let's go!"

"NO! YOU SHALL NOT LEAVE!" The winged child kicked Kougen from him and dove for the digi-destined. Kougen grabbed the winged child by the foot and dragged him back.

"Go, I'll hold him back! Leave the church; once you leave we'll be sealed here!" Kougen shouted as he pinned the dark angel against the wall. "Hurry!"

The two boys looked at each other and nodded and ran for the door.

888

"Everyone, fire!" shouted Kisho loudly as pointed at the church.

"Pyro Sphere!"

"Metal Cannon!"

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"

"Demi Dart!"

"Bubble Blow!"

The barrier bubbled quietly as the attacks struck the energy field, but there was no noticeable difference. The barrier wobbled slightly but there was no change after the field settled.

"Gah, that had to work!" shouted Kisho as he glared at the barrier.

"It was built to hold Lucemon in, I doubt our digimon have the power to break it," said Haru quietly as he looked at the church beyond the barrier. "There has to be a failsafe…"

"Maybe if we had them digivolve," Ren suggested quietly.

"I doubt that would work," Renamon said quietly.

"I was just making a suggestion!" Ren replied.

"We have to get in there and save my brother!" Haru looked at Kisho. "What if that Lucemon guy is using my brother or eating him or something!"

"Just calm down, we need to think," Kisho said quietly as he sat down. "The barrier is a dome around the church…maybe the barrier doesn't extend under the ground! Or maybe we can find a cave or a tree root that displaces the barrier and we can sneak through."

"Right, split up!" shouted Haru as he started to through rocks against the barrier.

"Wait!" Guilmon said as the dragon sniffed the air.

The barrier shook and shimmered as two figures passed through it. One was bearing the weight of the other and they both collapsed on the ground outside the barrier.

"Jiro!" Haru ran forward and grabbed his brother and hugged him tightly. "Are you safe?"

"I'm fine…but Taku…" Jiro looked over at the black haired boy.

"Is that…" Ren gulped quietly as she looked at the soaked shirt that Taku wore.

"Blood…" Taku whispered. "He tried to kill me."

"Lucemon, tried to kill you?" Kisho looked at Taku in shock.

"No…some boy, with wings…and in black," Taku breathed. "Fortunately, Jiro was somehow able to chase him off and heal me…"

"Kougen, did the healing, not me," Jiro said as he looked at his bloody hands.

"If you're healed…" Haru looked at Taku in suspicion.

"He was hurt badly, that winged guy put his hand through Taku's chest," Jiro said loudly. "Healing him hurt…it was like I was feeling everything that happened to him…"

The church flared with light, as the windows glowed. The air was filled with thunder as a stream dark and light energy shot into the air.

"What the heck?" Kisho looked up as the skies clouded over.

"They were fighting when we left, Kougen was trying to hold the other guy so we could escape," explained Taku as the clouds condensed and then exploded downward as a single bolt of black lightning.

The ground split and the children and the digimon were knocked to the ground by the explosion. The ground under their feet rumbled loudly and cracked. Steam shot up from the earth. Birds went silent. The children and their digimon huddled close to one another. More cracks formed in the earth, releasing eruptions of steam and heat.

"We have to get out of here!" shouted Haru loudly, "It's not safe!"

"Haru's right!" Kisho reached over and helped Taku up. "Come on, let's go."

Renamon and Ren walked quickly over and helped Taku on the other side. Haru and Jiro followed them watching as the steam swarmed up around the church.

888

The sun was starting to fall behind the horizon. Kisho had decided that they not continue traveling for the day to let Jiro and Taku rest from their ordeal. Taku narrowed his eyes as Ren started to wander towards him.

"How are you feeling?" Ren asked quietly as she looked down at Taku, who was lying against a tree.

"Why do you care?" Taku snapped quietly.

"I just wanted to know! Jeesh, bite my head off!" growled Ren loudly.

"I'm fine," Taku replied curtly. He looked at the pendant he'd retrieved from the experience. It was black and the design on the crest was that of the sun, but the sun wasn't full, rather it was more like a crescent, like during an eclipse. "Now, Jiro and I have tags and crests. I guess that just leaves yours, huh?"

Ren only nodded in silence. Taku looked up at Jiro who was sleeping quietly with Koromon. His crest was hanging gently on his chest. Jiro had shown Taku the crest earlier. It looked like a Christmas star with lots of small spokes extended out from a single epicenter. Taku frowned as he thought about what the boy that had attacked him said, and what Jiro had did to save him.

"What's wrong, Taku?" asked Ren quietly.

"Nothing, it's just that, don't worry, it's nothing important," Taku said as he leaned against the tree.

"Well, if you want to be mysterious that's your prerogative," sighed Ren as she started to walk away.

"I didn't say that you idiot," Taku shouted.

"I'm not an idiot!" shouted Ren. "Jerk!"

Taku closed his eyes and mumbled quietly as he folded his arms. "Maybe he was right…maybe Jiro was just a fluke…"

**888**

**AN: Fast update! The Chalices Dark and Light (Some reason I like that title, both in the sense of it being a title for a person and a chapter), I just loved the idea that someone just saw them as vessels for their power. And of course the Chalices of Dark and Light had to be involved with Lucemon. **

**For those who don't know, or haven't read the other parts of the series (Fall of Harmony, especially Fall, and Shadows of Chaos, not so much but it's there), Kage and Kougen are two components of the Lucemon of the Adventures' Universe (i.e. the one (Lucemon character) I wrote into my fanfics in this series and as such is not related to Frontier in anyway shape or form). They represent the darkness and light powers that Lucemon wields. Kougen is Lucemon's 'Light Source' where as Kage is Lucemon's 'Shade/Shadow'. They are like split personalities within Lucemon, but they aren't just personalities. They have a true, physical/ethereal presence and quantity, as seen here they are still very much on the spiritual/physical border, though that could all deal with the dimensional altering properties of the church and barrier surrounding it… and cannot exist far from the 'true' body of Lucemon, which is in stasis. Hopefully that explains them… Ok, if you want something detailed and super explanation into the weirdness of my ideas around Adventures' Lucemon and all that other stuff; email me, its on my profile I think, because if I tried to answer them here, the AN would be longer than the chapter. **

**I don't know, I think this chapter has some cute interactions, between Kisho and Haru and Jiro and Taku. (Not ships, interactions, there are differences, and come on, Takiro or Jiku, whatever, just ewww and wrong, so let's not go down that road) I feel so bad for Ren, though; she must be so lonely and she's been slowly relegated into pissing people off, rather like Yolei or Mimi, did to some extent. I don't know when I'll post next; the next chapter will probably be a little difficult for me to write (For some reason I have a hard time writing for girls…probably because I'm a guy…). I have an idea but a lot has to happen, so maybe next chapter will be two chapters. I don't know we'll see. **

**Sorry for the long AN…this chapter is kind of complicated…in a 'between the lines and back story' sort of way, or at least it seems that way to me but maybe I'm incredibly simple.**

**Blue: yep Haru's crest is far easier, and Kisho's is too, but it's just harder to describe. These crests were obvious too, but for different reasons. **

**Dark: righto! **


	22. Eruption

**I don't own digimon**

**Eruption**

**888**

Haru opened an eye slowly. The ground under his head was vibrating. He looked up at the sky. Steady plumes of steam obscured the stars. Haru sat up. He looked around. Kisho and DORUmon were sitting in a tree looking toward the east.

"What's going on?" Haru asked as he walked to the trunk of the tree.

"The mountain…" Kisho said quietly as he looked off to the east. "It's smoking…"

"That earthquake we had after Taku and Jiro escaped that church," DORUmon looked down at Haru, "It must have triggered something."

"It could be that the earthquake ruptured a magma chamber, that would be enough to cause an influx of pressure that would cause an eruption," Haru said as he looked off in the direction of the mountain. "We have to get off this island…"

"We can't," Kisho said quietly as he climbed out of the tree and dropped down to the ground. "We need to find Ren's tag and crest first…then we can leave."

"What about Volcamon?" DORUmon leapt down and grunted as he hit the ground feet first.

"I don't know," Kisho admitted quietly, "maybe if we get lucky, he'll get trapped here…"

"That's to say the volcano actually erupts," Haru returned as he looked up at the sky. "It may just be all bluster and no boom."

"Then what should I do?" asked Kisho quietly as he looked at Ren.

"We have to work fast," Haru whispered. "In case the mountain does start to erupt."

"Isn't today the day Whamon was coming to pick us up?" asked DORUmon quietly.

"There's that, too," sighed Kisho as he looked down at his tag and crest. "If Ren wasn't a girl it would be easier, it's just like I have no idea what to tell her."

"Well, she's not a boy, she is a girl," Haru replied quietly, "You can only do your best…"

"What if it's not enough?" whispered Kisho as he looked at his crest, "What if something happens to her?"

"We'll be there to help," Haru said quietly.

"Haru," Kisho looked up at the blonde haired boy, "I need you to do something for me…"

"What?" Haru looked up at the brunette.

"You need to take Taku and Jiro to the coast," Kisho said quietly, "I'll go with Ren we'll find the tag and crest and beat a retreat to the coast, but you have to get Taku and Jiro to Whamon and off this island…their still vulnerable to attack from yesterday."

"But…" Haru started.

"Now's not the time to argue with me," Kisho said sternly he clenched his fists a little, "I want you guys to be safe." His fists relaxed and then he turned and smiled at Haru, "Plus, I can take care of myself."

"Ok, but if you don't come back by evening we're coming for you," Haru said gruffly.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Kisho smiled quietly. "It won't take long."

888

"Haru," Taku shouted as he walked slowly behind the blonde. Haru winced. It was a number of hours after sunrise. They had been awoken by a loud explosion and strong earthquake. Haru turned his head slightly to Taku. DemiDevimon was snoozing on the boy's head. Taku looked at Haru, "Why are we going this way? Why are we leaving Kisho and Ren behind!"

"Kisho said this will be easier," replied Haru shortly. "Just don't worry about it."

"But what about Kisho and Ren, what if Volcamon…?" Jiro started.

"Don't worry, Kisho said he has it under control," Haru said sharply.

"You don't like this do you?" Taku said as he stepped over a tree limb.

"It's not up to me, Kisho asked me to do this," Haru said in reply. He stopped and turned. "Let's not argue about this ok?"

"But you can't just let them wander off," Jiro said loudly, "They could get hurt!"

"I know, but they need to find that last tag and crest," Haru said quietly as he turned to continue.

"Woah, you mean you were brainwashed by Kisho into thinking this was the best way?" Taku laughed as he looked at Haru in shock.

"No, he's right," said Haru quietly, "We have to flag down Whamon, and tell him to wait; we have to make sure you two are safe, you're both still vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?" Taku fumed quietly, "Who says we're vulnerable," He winced and fell to his knees and clasped his chest, "ugh…"

"Well, I for one," said Haru as he turned to look at Taku. "Are you ok?"

DemiDevimon woke up and looked down worriedly at Taku.

"I'm fine," Taku gritted through his teeth.

"Do you need help?" Guilmon as the dragon walked forward.

"I'm fine!" Taku growled as he stood up.

"Are you sure, Taku," Jiro asked as he and Koromon looked up at the boy. "We can stop and rest…"

"I don't need rest!" Taku shouted. He glared at Jiro.

"But Taku you're hurt…" Jiro looked up at the boy in shock.

"You don't have to remind me!" Taku shouted. He swept the back of his hand at Jiro and smacked the child. Jiro staggered backward and fell. Taku glared down at Jiro "I know how I feel!"

Haru ran over to Jiro and looked up at Taku, "Why did you do that?"

Taku blinked and backed up slowly, "I don't know…"

"That's not an acceptable answer!" Haru growled as he looked at his brother. A hand shaped red mark covered the smaller boy's cheek. "Are you ok, Jiro?"

"It's not so bad…just a shock," whispered the smaller boy quietly. Jiro looked down at Koromon, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Jiro," replied the small ball. "You're the one that got hit."

"Taku, tell me now, why'd you hit my brother?" Haru shouted as he got up and walked toward Taku.

"I don't know…" The black haired boy staggered backward. "I don't know!"

"That's not good enough!" Haru shouted. "Tell me now!"

"He doesn't know!" DemiDevimon leapt off of Taku's head and flew in front of Haru. "Leave him alone!"

"I'm not going to let him hit my brother for no reason!" Haru growled as he lifted his fist. He glared past DemiDevimon and shot his eyes on Taku, "Tell me; why did you hit him?"

"Because, he gets on my nerves!" Taku growled under his breath. "Pretending like he cares, acting so innocent…"

"Taku?" DemiDevimon turned slightly.

"He's just like the rest of you," Taku glared at Haru. "Acting like you give a flip about this world, acting like you care about me …you don't care."

"What…" Jiro looked up at Haru.

"What do you mean? We're taking you to safety, we're worried about you and then you turn on us like a rabid dog!" Haru growled as he glared at Taku. "How dare you doubt our sincerity towards you?"

"Can it," growled Taku loudly as he turned away and disappeared back into the forest, "You can tell Kisho he doesn't need to act any more, he can leave without me!"

"Idiot!" shouted Haru loudly as he started after Taku.

"Stay there!" growled DemiDevimon. A dart morphed in the bat's claws and flew forward imbedding in front of Haru. "Taku doesn't want you around, so leave him be!" The bat turned and flew after Taku. "Taku, wait for me!"

"Idiots, if they want to get killed…" Haru clenched his fists.

"We can't just let them leave…" Jiro said quietly, "We have to try and persuade…"

"No, I'm tired of playing his little games, he can just get lost!" Haru snarled as he turned back to the path he was following, "Come on Guilmon, Jiro; let's get there before noon."

"But…Taku…" Jiro said as he looked in the direction that the black haired boy had gone.

"Forget it, he wants to be loner, let him," Haru said as he walked away. "Come on!"

"If…if you say so…" Jiro slowly followed after Haru as he looked back.

888

"Nope," Ren said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "No way…"

"But you're the only one that can go and get it!" Kisho retorted.

"No! I'm not going to go crawling around a swamp to find a little pendant!" Ren shouted.

"Dang it, Ren!" Kisho clenched his fists, "Can you be any greedier?"

"Hey! I didn't want to come," Ren growled. "I only did this because you guys convinced me! I want to go home, that's it! I don't want to be a hero or save the world, I'm not old enough! I can't do this, Kisho, I can't!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Kisho grabbed Ren by the shoulders. "You don't have to do this alone…I'm here…"

Ren looked in Kisho's eyes, "That's not enough…"

"What?" whispered Kisho quietly.

"I'm alone here…" Ren said quietly. "You have Taku and Haru and Jiro to talk to…they understand you. Who have I got?"

"Ren…" Renamon looked at her partner. "Ren…you can talk to me…"

"It's not the same, Renamon," Ren closed her eyes. The fox quirked an eyebrow. Ren sighed loudly, "I love you, Renamon, but you aren't human. I need a human girl to talk to. I am lonely!"

"If you wouldn't come off as such a snob sometimes, you wouldn't be lonely," said Kisho quietly. "I know you're lonely but some of that is your own fault."

"Renamon…let's get this stupid crest thing," Ren said as she turned.

"You're going?" Kisho looked up.

"Better than being told I'm a stuck up witch," said Ren as she walked forward with her nose in the air.

"It's odd how much irony is soaked in that scene…" said Kisho quietly as he followed Ren as she groaningly stepped onto the soft, muddy earth.

"What's irony?" asked DORUmon.

"No idea, I missed that day of school," Said Kisho with a smile as he rubbed his head.

"Oh..." said DORUmon as he grimaced at the ground and took a step into the swamp. "I'm feeling a tad uncomfortable with this too…"

"Don't worry I doubt it's overly deeeeep!" Kisho disappeared into a puddle of water.

"KISHO!" yelped DORUmon as the fox raptor hopped to the periphery of the water. Kisho exploded out of the puddle coughing loudly.

"I think I swallowed a frog…" Kisho hacked loudly as he shook his head sending the mossy water that covered his body in all directions.

"See, this is why I didn't want to come here!" shouted Ren from a few meters ahead of them. "Not to mention the fact my feet are going to stink!"

"Thanks for the compassion, Ren," grumbled Kisho as he floated on the surface of the puddle. He held out his hand and DORUmon helped drag him up out of the hole.

"Don't worry, Kisho I'll compassionate enough for the two of us," the fox-raptor smiled.

Kisho shook and kicked his feet trying to get the water off of him. DORUmon hopped back slightly. Kisho sighed and then ran after Ren, splashing though the murky water as he ran.

888

Volcamon's eyes snapped open. Red light spewed from the round orifices. The metal digimon sat straight up in his bed and twisted around and stood up. He walked slowly out of his bedroom and into the living area of the hut. He looked down at a cot in the corner of the living room. A yellow digimon was standing their.

"Arizzze…" hissed Volcamon as he walked forward. The yellow digimon's eyes flickered open and looked up at Volcamon.

"Maestro…" gulped the yellow digimon. "Is something the matter?"

"I sense that something has awakened," whispered Volcamon as he walked out of the hut. The yellow digimon hopped after Volcamon and went outside. "The mountain…"

"The volcano has started erupting!" yelped they yellow digimon as he hopped around. "When did that happen?"

"Silence," growled Volcamon loudly. "There is another…like I…he is here…I must find him!"

"Find who?" the yellow digimon asked as he hopped after his master.

"The dark heart…" replied Volcamon quietly as he walked stiffly into the forest.

"Wait for me, Maestro!" called the yellow digimon as he bounded after Volcamon.

888

"This is it?" Ren said as he picked up the teardrop-adorned pendant that was nestled in a stump of a tree.

"What did you expect?" asked Kisho as he looked at Ren.

"I don't it just seems…kind of easy," Ren said as she looked at the pendant.

"Don't complain, things could be worse," Kisho said as he lifted his digivice. "DORUmon, I know this seems kind of like excess, but we need speed, and if you would…?"

"Digivolve?" DORUmon smiled and nodded. DORUmon glowed brightly as his wings and body grew and reappeared as DORUgamon.

"Maybe the wind will dry you out," said Ren as she and Renamon hopped on the fox-dragon's back. Kisho scrambled up on the dragons back.

"Right, let's go," Kisho called. "We'll glide across coast, until we see the others."

"Ok," DORUgamon flapped his wings and took sending a wave of water after him.

The forests swept under the feet of DORUgamon. Kisho squinted his eyes as the wind whipped around his eyes, but there was something else. A harsh smell burned his nose. It smelled like rotten eggs. He looked down and a yellowish vapor was wafting from the mountain crags.

"What is that?" Ren coughed as she held her hand over her mouth.

"I have a guess, but you won't like it…" called Kisho as he covered his nose.

"What?" shouted Ren loudly.

"I think it's sulfur!" coughed Kisho loudly as DORUgamon flew higher. "The mountain's vents are cracking, it's going to blow!"

"We need to get off the island then," Renamon called loudly.

"I know!" Kisho shouted. "DORUgamon let's go!"

"I'm going; I'm going!" growled DORUgamon as he flapped his wings harder.

"The mountain's smoking!" Ren shouted. Kisho narrowed his eyes as a silty cloud swirled around DORUgamon.

"There!" shouted Kisho as he pointed down. "I see them and Whamon!"

DORUgamon dove down as he wavered back and forth as the air resisted his wings. The scene below grew larger and Kisho frowned as he counted the figures on the ground.

"Wait…where's Taku and DemiDevimon?" Ren called.

DORUgamon landed on the beach. Whamon was floating off the shore just a few meters. Haru and Jiro were standing near the water. Guilmon and Koromon were playing in the water. Kisho leapt down and ran to Haru and Jiro.

"Where's Taku?" shouted Kisho loudly.

"He hit Jiro," growled Haru, "and then he ran off…"

"Why didn't you go after him or stop him!" Kisho shouted loudly. Ren and Renamon hopped down from DORUgamon.

"I'm not chasing after a guy that hurt my brother!" Haru growled loudly. "He ran off, I didn't chase him off!"

Kisho turned, "Stay here, I'll go and find him!"

"What?" Ren and Renamon looked at Kisho as he climbed up on DORUgamon's back.

"But the volcano!" Jiro shouted.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," Kisho shouted back.

"We don't need him! He's a danger; he attacked Jiro for no reason and who's to say he'll not pull the same with one of us?" Haru retorted loudly. "Maybe it's best we leave him!"

"Are you insane?" shouted Kisho loudly, "He's our friend! I'm not leaving him! DORUgamon, you feel like searching for Taku?" The dragon-fox nodded and lowered himself.

"But, let us help…" Ren looked up at Kisho.

"No, if we all go, we're all in danger," Kisho replied, "If I and DORUgamon just go, I'm only risking myself and DORUgamon. So stay here, if the mountain starts to go, then leave with Whamon, I'll catch up!"

"But…" Ren looked up at Kisho.

"He's right, the island is small enough that a mass search would not help us more than a single person search," Renamon said quietly. "We would only get in the way."

"Kisho!" shouted Jiro as DORUgamon flapped his wings and took off.

"Don't worry! I'll be back in two shakes!" shouted Kisho as he waved down, "I'll bring Taku back, safe and sound!"

DORUgamon slowly turned and disappeared into the distance. The mountain rose up as smoke rushed from its peak. The other children watched as smoke swirled around and enshrouded DORUgamon.

888

"Taku, should we be out here?" whispered DemiDevimon as he glided behind the black haired boy.

"I don't belong with them," whispered Taku as he looked at the ground.

His eyes narrowed as he remembered the feeling of the back of his hand slapping Jiro's soft cheek. He remembered the look of shock and pain on Jiro's face as the boy had stared back. Taku clenched his fists.

"What do you mean you don't belong; you're a digi-destined; aren't you?" asked DemiDevimon as he hovered around Taku.

"I don't belong…" whispered Taku quietly, "just like he said…"

He closed his eyes as the voice from the evil boy from the chapel rang in his head, _"You are different than the others. They fear you, they dislike you; they find you unappealing._ _They're scared of your power. They are envious of you; they hate you with all their might."_

"Who's right?" DemiDevimon asked as he perched on a chair.

"It's not important," Taku said as he looked up.

"_Yessss, all will fall into shadowsss won't it?"_ hissed a voice in Taku's head.

The black haired head shot up and glared. A bulky, muscular shadow appeared out of the forest. DemiDevimon hissed slightly as he looked in the direction that Taku was glaring.

"Volcamon," DemiDevimon dove between Taku and the metal digimon as it appeared.

"_Sso, you're the one I've been sssensssing,"_ hissed the voice in Taku's head. _"I would never have guessssed…" _

"Who are you?" growled Taku as he glared at Volcamon.

"It's Volcamon, didn't you hear me?" said DemiDevimon as he turned to Taku.

"Don't you hear him?" hissed Taku as he looked at DemiDevimon.

"Hear who? He's not spoken!" yelped DemiDevimon, "and usually he's a blabbermouth!"

"_Only those with a dark heart can hear my thoughts," _chuckled the voice quietly. _"Not even this fool, Volcamon could hear me…I had to take him by force; it was only after I was in direct contact with him did he understand the improvements I could make…" _

"Arkadimon…" growled Taku as he glared at Volcamon.

The metal digimon lurched forward like a puppet. A crimson X formed on the metallic chest of Volcamon as it pealed open. A black, shadowy form of the scythe-armed digimon extended out of Volcamon's chest. Two bloody lights shimmered out of the shadow's head.

"_Always so perceptive…"_ whispered the shadow as it swept closer to Taku.

"Stay back!" shouted DemiDevimon as he lifted his claws and formed a black syringe between his talons. "Demi Dart!"

The shadow dismissed the dart with a motion of his arm.

"What do you want?" growled Taku as he glared at the shadow.

"_We are kindred spirits, human," _whispered the shadow in Taku's head. _"We're spirits of darkness; we are driven by the pain of others. I can see into your mind, child. You enjoyed the look of terror you inflicted on your younger companion…the anger that you attained from his brother; yes, you enjoyed it you drank it like a fine wine."_

"What do you know?" shouted Taku loudly.

"What did he say!" shouted DemiDevimon, "What's going on? Someone throw me a bone!"

"_We are so similar," _whispered the shadow, _"We were both created, not born…we're both abominations of nature."_

"How…how did you know that?" Taku stepped backward and gasped. "Nobody knows that!

"Nobody knows what?" yelped DemiDevimon as he spun around.

"_Your parents wanted a child so badly…but after the complications that they had with your brother, your mother was unable to bear you," _whispered the shadow quietly as it swept back and forth. _"So they decided to have you created…conceived in a test tube, nourished in the body of another woman…you are truly displaced! You are truly nothing more than a freak, an unnatural being of science. A mongrel…like I."_

"I'm nothing like you!" shouted Taku loudly. He clenched his fist. "What did you come here for?"

"_I wished to bring you into my fold, I can give you much," _whispered the shadow as it leaned back towards Volcamon, whose back was bent back and his head lolled back. _"I could show you the way to true power; I can give you the respect you deserve. The shadows are calling you…can you not hear them?" _

"Taku, what's going on?" DemiDevimon said worriedly as he hovered between the boy and the shadow.

"Get rid of him," growled Taku as he clenched his fist around his digivice.

"DemiDevimon digivolve to ExVeemon!" A black glow surrounded DemiDevimon as he grew into a black skinned dragon. "This…feels…wrong…"

"Get rid of him, I don't want to talk to him anymore, ExVeemon!" Taku gritted through his teeth.

"Taku…the…crest…" ExVeemon winced as he looked at Taku's chest.

Taku looked down. A sickly crimson color was emanating from the crest. Taku looked up and growled.

"Use its strength…destroy him!" shouted Taku loudly.

"V Laser!" roared ExVeemon crossed his arms and a black cross slashed forward cutting through the shadow and pushing back into Volcamon. Volcamon himself slammed back to the ground and rolled as ExVeemon rose up.

"_I see, you smack my helping hand away…"_ whispered the voice in Taku's head, _"Then you shall be taken out of the picture…" _

Volcamon's head snapped into place and his eyes glowed back into existence. His body jerkily lifted to its feet. His hand gripped a microphone and he lifted it to his lips.

"You shall paaaaaayy!" rumbled the voice in the microphone as a blast of sonic energy smashed into ExVeemon's body and smacked the dragon to the ground. "I do not like it when I am rejected…" growled a tinny, hijacked voice out of Volcamon's mouth and into the microphone. ExVeemon was slapped aside like an ant by the sound wave. "You can't reject that which is part of you, you'll only feed it. The darkness is merciless to those who try to stifle it!"

ExVeemon was squished against a tree by a burst of sound. The dragon groaned loudly as he squirmed. Taku looked up at the dragon and bit his lip. The red light that was coming from his crest faded and ExVeemon fizzled down to DemiDevimon and then rolled to the ground with a thump.

"DemiDevimon…" Taku gasped as he looked at the small, bat digimon as he lay unconscious on the ground.

"Now that, that insect is out of the way," whispered Volcamon as he turned and looked at Taku, "It's time to take care of you."

"No, you don't!" shouted a voice.

Hundreds of metallic spheres shot out the sky slamming into Volcamon's head, shoulders, and chest. The ball bearings slowly pushed Volcamon back. Taku looked up as DORUgamon dropped between Taku and Volcamon. Kisho leapt down and looked at Taku and DemiDevimon.

"Kisho…" Taku said as he looked at the brunette boy.

"Don't worry the cavalry's here!" Kisho said as he looked at Taku. Kisho blinked as he looked over and saw DemiDevimon. Kisho ran forward and extended a hand. "Oh no…are you guys ok?"

"We're fine…go, get out of here, he's looking for me!" Taku shouted as he pulled away from Kisho.

"No, I'm not leaving you behind, I don't care what Haru says; I'm not leaving you back here alone!" Kisho retorted as he reached forward and snatched Taku's hand. "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Leave me behind!" shouted Taku swiped a fist past Kisho's face. "Arkadimon wants me!"

"I don't care," Kisho said.

"Fool!" Kisho spun around as DORUgamon was sent crashed onto his side. Volcamon was slowly stalking DORUgamon. "I want my companion in the shadows…"

"You're not getting him!" shouted Kisho loudly. He clenched his fist. "I'll protect him from you!"

"You don't stand a chance, child!" growled Volcamon as he stepped forward. "The shadow child is mine!"

"Go…Kisho, get out of here, leave with the others," Taku said quietly, "take DemiDevimon with you…just get out of here and leave me with Arkadimon."

"No, I'm not leaving one of my friends behind," Kisho turned and glared at Taku. "I don't care what you do, I won't let you just give up and run away from your problems. You have too much pain and you can't fight it alone, I want to help. I want you to be part of the team. I'm, your friend! So is Jiro and Ren, and Haru would be too, if you'd give him a chance."

"Kisho…" Taku looked at the goggled boy his eyes watered.

"So long, child!" Volcamon lifted his microphone.

"Run, Kisho!" Taku demanded as he looked up at Volcamon.

"No! I'm not going to just leave you here! I'm not leaving my friends to the shadows!" Kisho retorted loudly.

The tag and crest around Kisho's neck glowed brightly as a sharp blue beam sliced through the air and engulfed DORUgamon. Volcamon took several steps back as DORUgamon stood up. A pair of blue eyes pierced the radiance that swarmed around DORUgamon.

"DORUgamon digivolve to…." Large, silver wings projecting out of the light. Golden ringlets jangled on the bony wrists of the wings. A long red and black tail swiped out of the light; a golden cap covered the tip of the tail as it swished back and forth. Four, large, clawed, white paws walked out of the light. A horned head attached to a long, red and black striped neck appeared as the light faded. Finally the bulky, muscular body, covered in red fur, was revealed. Jagged black stripes raked the flanks of the dragon digimon, "…DORUgremon!"

"He…digivolved…" Kisho whispered, as he looked at DORUgremon and then at the glowing tag and crest on his chest. A smile slowly grew on Kisho's lips.

"I am not intimidated!" growled Volcamon as he lifted his microphone. "I've got a song just for you…"

"I think we're done hearing your voice, Volcamon," growled DORUgremon as he opened his wings. Swirls of light appeared in the body of the wings. "Metal Meteor!"

Thousands of exploding balls of melted metal crashed into Volcamon's body sending the metal digimon crashing to the ground. DORUgremon whipped his tail forward and snapped Volcamon's microphone out of his hands and into the forest. Volcamon sneered at DORUgremon as the dragon fanned its wings again.

"Big Bang Tackle!" shouted Volcamon as he leapt forward.

"Bloody Tower!" Crimson energy swirled into a large, blood red tornado around DORUgremon's body. The cyclone roared forward towards Volcamon. The metal digimon hesitated and skidded to a stop as the bloody cyclone twisted towards him.

Volcamon tried to run but the tornado snatched up the metallic digimon throwing him into the crimson maelstrom. Taku winced as he watched Volcamon's body tossed in the crimson storm. The singer's screams echoed in and out of the storm as it eroded and tore at his body. The tornado suddenly disappeared and a pink lump of flesh crashed to the ground.

Its body was seething and pulsed. A black aura swamped the flesh as grew slightly larger. The pinkness was replaced by a more peach colored skin. It slowly rose up. A small, oval shaped head with small beady eyes and two pink feather plumes topped a muscular body. Its chest had a flesh colored carapace covering the bulging carapace. A pair of diminutive wings flared from the shoulders. Its arms were long, longer than its legs, and crimson muscles protruded from the forearms. Large hands were ended by think, blunt tipped fingers and were pressed into the ground. Its legs were equally muscled as the arms. The legs ended in clawed feet. It sat, crouched, staring at DORUgremon and Kisho as its thin, rat-like, tail swept back and forth. Between its massive feet, the Dark Digimental rested, nestled in the mud.

"The Dark Digimental," whispered Kisho as he looked at the black crystal ball. "DORUgremon, we have to get that!"

"I'm on it!" growled DORUgremon as the dragon fanned its large, silver wings. "Metal Meteor!"

The creature that escaped Volcamon leapt swiftly from the onslaught of liquid metal and disappeared. Kisho and DORUgremon looked around suspiciously.

"That was easy…" whispered Kisho as he walked toward the digimental.

"Kisho watch out!" shouted Taku as he ran forward and pushed the brunette.

A fist exploded into the earth in front of Kisho. Suddenly the creature was in the air above them twisting around and extending his foot. The fleshy armor on the creature's leg stretched like elastic and slammed into DORUgremon's chest tossing the dragon backward. The creature touched back down on the ground and was back in its crouching position, silently staring at Kisho.

"What are you?" Kisho looked at the creature.

"It's Arkadimon…" Taku replied as he looked at the creature. "You digivolved; didn't you?"

"Arkadimon, you can't have the digimental!" Kisho said as he walked forward.

"Don't be a fool!" Taku grabbed Kisho's hand. "He's stronger than he was at File Island…a lot stronger…"

"I'll get him this time!" growled DORUgremon. The dragon fanned his wings again. "Metal Meteor!"

The liquid pellets of metal exploded into nothing as Arkadimon disappeared again into thin air. The beastly digimon suddenly erupted into DORUgremon's chest slamming fist after fist into the dragon's ribs.

"DORUgremon!" Kisho watched as Arkadimon kicked the dragon into the forest and turned in mid-kick to look at them.

"You haven't won, Arkadimon," Kisho growled as he bent down and clutched the digimental, "We have the digimental!"

"Kisho, don't piss him off!" Taku growled as he looked in the flesh toned beast's crimson eyes. "Who's going to protect us from him?"

Arkadimon shot forward only to stop short as the earth ripped upward throwing all to the ground. There was a loud explosion as huge cinders tore through the skies like overgrown cherry bombs, exploding and spewing semi-molten rock everywhere.

"The volcano," Kisho whispered.

"Metal Meteor!" Kisho and Taku snapped their heads up as DORUgremon appeared in the sky and fired a shower of liquid pellets into the earth behind the jutting rock that had exploded from the earth in front of them.

A flash of movement shot into the sky. It slowed and turned revealing itself as Arkadimon. The digimon's tail prepared to whip forward when a large cinder bomb exploded into Arkadimon's back sending Arkadimon tumbling haphazardly into the trees.

"Grab DemiDevimon, we have to get out of here!" shouted Kisho as DORUgremon landed on the ground.

Taku looked at Kisho and then nodded and ran over to the bat and picked him up. Kisho helped Taku mount DORUgremon and after climbing on himself Kisho told DORUgremon to retreat to the beach. The dragon nodded and took flight weaving back and forth between cannonballs of semi-liquid rock.

888

"Maestro!" screamed Sukamon as more volcanic bombs exploded through the forests. He bounded through the forest emphatically screaming his master's name.

Sukamon stopped suddenly and looked down. Something shiny caught his eye. It was a microphone. Sukamon looked around. There were signs of a large battle. The swirl of yellow gulped and gently reached down and picked up the microphone.

"Oh…Maestro…they've cut your concert short…" sniffled Sukamon. The swirly, yellow digimon eyes then sparkled and a mischievous smile cut across his face. "Since…the maestro is gone…then that means…I'm the master now!" His long fingered hands gripped around the microphone tightly. "This is mine!"

A loud explosion caused Sukamon to leap in surprise. The yellow digimon looked up to see a black streak shoot through the sky and fly westward.

"Yes, west is where I'll go, I will start my career in the west! I may, eventually, rule the concert scene there!" Sukamon chuckled as he gripped the microphone. The earth rumbled again and Sukamon tensed. "But first I must get off this island…" He started bounding away and he smiled greedily, "Maybe one day I shall have my own network….yes..."

888

"I don't see them!" shouted Jiro as he sat on Whamon's head.

"That's it, I'm going!" Haru said as he lifted his digivice.

"No!" Ren gripped Haru's hand, "Kisho said to wait."

"Kisho's being a fool," shouted Haru back. "He's going to get himself killed!"

"Wait!" Jiro shouted as he pointed upward. "What's that?"

"A digimon…" said Whamon as a dragon creature flew forward, weaving between the cinders flying through the air.

The dragon got closer. Its long neck was extended forward as its large, silver wings were tucked close against its body. It dove forward and then tilted gliding towards the whale and the other digi-destined.

"It's Kisho!" shouted Ren as she waved.

"And Taku!" Jiro cheered.

"Thank goodness…but who's that…" Haru looked up at the dragon.

"DORUgremon," said Whamon. "DORUgamon's Ultimate form."

"You mean…" Haru looked up at the dragon as it approached the whale. Kisho slid down landing on the whale and then caught Taku and DemiDevimon as they hopped down. The dragon glowed and fizzled down and a small, football shaped digimon with grayish-purple fur landed next to Kisho.

"Look at what I got!" Kisho held out his hand showing the Dark Digimental, "but Arkadimon got away…"

"But I smashed Volcamon!" chirped the little digimon as he hopped forward. The others looked down at the digimon with a quizzical look, "Oh, sorry, I'm Dorimon, the In Training form of DORUmon. I guess that tag and crest digivolution really sapped me!"

"You got the tag and crest to work!" yelped Haru loudly.

"Err, yeah…" said Kisho as he rubbed the back of his head.

"He saved me…" Taku said quietly, "from myself…"

"Hey what are friends for, eh?" smiled Kisho as he patted Taku's back. DemiDevimon shook his head and opened his eyes. Taku grimaced slightly. Kisho smiled and patted the bat's head, "How are you?"

"Feel like I was hit by a truck…" whimpered the bat.

"Well, close enough," Kisho said with a smile. There was a loud rumble and mountain erupted releasing a stream of orange flame.

"I think it's time we get out of here!" shouted Whamon as the marine digimon retreated from the island.

"Look!" shouted Ren as she pointed. A large tree was floating past; on the tree were three monkeys.

"There go the Seadramon!" said Haru as pointed to the large serpents gliding through the water.

"I wonder where that little weird dude that hung out with Volcamon got to…" said Kisho quietly.

"Who knows…" said Ren as she looked back at the island. The mountain was falling apart and smoke obscured the lower regions of the island.

"I just hope the chapel stays up…" whispered Taku quietly.

"Me too," Jiro nodded.

"Next stop, The Continent of Server!" shouted Whamon as he swam westward.

888

"Stupid splinters!" whimpered Sukamon as he paddled a large tree stump away from the island. "Oh well, I'll sacrifice this to get to stardom!" He punched upward. He lost balance and fell into the ocean. "ACK! HELP ME!" flailed the digimon as he struggled back onto the tree stump. He returned to his position and smiled. "Stardom here I come!"

888

A comet of darkness shot across the sky and flew towards Server. Energy crackled angrily around the comet. Within the blackness of the comet was the created digimon, Arkadimon. The flesh toned digimon growled softly as purification energy swarmed around his body. He needed a shield, someplace to hide, without the digimental in his grasps he would soon be purified to his In Training form, or worse, purified to nothing. He sensed a darkness in the west; a shadow to cloak his body from the unrelenting barrier of harmony. He narrowed his eyes and pushed forward wincing as the energy snapped across his body.

**888**

**AN: I changed my mind on some things when it came to this chapter and the general story line. One of those was the change from Ren being captured to Taku being…caught. (I just like the idea of Arkadimon hanging out of Volcamon whilst talking with Taku…) Sukamon probably won't return to the story in any major way…he's more a set up for someone else's adventures in the future. Also the next chapter may take a while, I'm really busy this next couple of weeks. I really hate taking so long I feel like I'm putting you in a lurch…that's why I wanted this chapter to mainly end tied up. Hopefully it will be. I amended the Ultimate Evolutions, because I didn't want to use HishaRyuumon again…other than that I think this chapter was kind of…creepy, and warm. **

**Blue: Yes I know it's clichéd but the crests kind of have to be this way, because I have a plan, or something. I just hope that it was unexpected that it wasn't Ren caught. **

**Alforce: Welcome back! Volcamon an Etemon-like character…or is Etemon a Volcamon-like character…(nudge…nudge) Yes Magnamon was the big surprise. I so badly wanted to have Magnamon say toBaronmon, when Baronmon mentions Magnamon being an armored digimon, "Digimentals, we don't need no stinking digimentals!" But alas that just didn't seem to fit. As to Kougen and Kage, they are so…fun. I just loved The Chalices Dark and Light. Kage really does do damage to Taku, but not just physical damage…and unfortunately for Taku, Arkadimon has only just reopened that scab. And I do love the Phantom of the Opera, it just fit…with Volcamon and the chapter.**


	23. From the Frying Pan into the Fire

**I don't own digimon**

**From the Frying Pan into the Fire**

**888**

The moonlight shone down upon a palace in the mountains. The sound of clipping echoed through the courtyard. The bushes in the garden shifted as the clipping grew louder. Pieces of leaves fell to the ground as long, thin blades snipped across each other. The blades stopped suddenly and the figure wielding them stood up from his kneeling position in front of the shrub. The wide, pink, silken sleeves of the figure's kabuki-like clothing swept through the air as thousands of razors shot out of the figure's sleeves and cut across the courtyard. The razors target instantly leapt into the air and onto the branch of a tree that grew in the courtyard's gardens.

"I was wondering when you would appear to me…" said the gardener as he looked down upon his visitor. He lifted his arm and pointed with one of his long, blade-like fingers, "I felt your awakening, but I expected you much sooner and I expected you to be ready to rule this world by now…"

It was a flesh armored beast with long muscular arms and equally muscular legs that gripped tightly to the branch of the tree it was in. A thin tail swished silently behind the visitor like a cord of rope caught in the wind. The visitor's eyes glowed softly in the night.

"I see; the ones that defeated Baronmon, eh?" the gardener smirked. He dusted off his lightly armored chest. His eyes blinked from under a bladed helmet, tufts of orange hair shot from the gardener's helmet. "You mean they defeated you, twice?"

The visitor's eyes glared angrily at the gardener.

"No, of course it was the volcano's fault," the gardener replied to the glare as he watched the creature jump down from the tree and slowly move forward. It tilted its head up and looked at the gardener, "And they have the Dark Digimental, so the barrier really is pressing against your overt darkness."

The creature nodded quietly, swishing its tail.

The gardener reached up to his chest. He peeled his armor open revealing his muscular, crimson chest, "I would be honored if you would take refuge inside me."

The visitor turned back and walked toward the gardener. The gardener's wide crimson pants shifted in the moonlight as he took up a bracing stance. A dark aura flowed from the visitor into the gardener as the visitor disappeared. The gardener gently closed his armor once again and looked up at the night air.

"I will have them dealt with," said the gardener quietly as he turned towards the entrance to the palace. He stopped in mid-step and looked up at the moon, "Are you sure…? Vengeance is such a paltry reason…" said the digimon quietly. He closed his eyes and nodded, "Fine then, I will attempt to find someone suitable for the job…"

888

"We have been working diligently while you were gone," said a young woman in long beige robes. She looked up at a young man with brown hair and eyes as he hoped down from a large, blimp-like digimon. "We're nearly finished with the first of the second five evolving medallions."

"I retrieved the digimentals," replied the man as he lifted up a small calculator shaped object.

"We also logged the activation of one of the first medallion's energy being accessed," replied the woman as the man continued from the landing pad into a large fortress. She followed after him, "Actually there were two activations…but the first was unstable…"

"The Crest of Darkness…" whispered the man quietly as he stopped and looked back at the woman.

"The signature is the same," nodded the woman. "Master Gennai, I think we should endeavor in retrieving the crests, until the others are finished, especially the Crest of Darkness."

"Luminel, you may be correct," replied the man quietly. "Darkness, without temperance will always be unstable…"

"Without the second generation crest, the chosen holder of Darkness will be in great danger," replied the woman quietly.

"Not the child, the world," replied Gennai as he looked up at the blonde haired girl.

"I shall send a messenger then," the woman bowed slightly.

"That is not all; Arkadimon is back," said Gennai as he walked slowly into the fortress. The woman gasped quietly. Gennai stopped and looked back and smiled. "But don't worry, sing a happy tune."

"I don't see how a happy ditty can help us against Arkadimon," replied Luminel snidely.

"You'd be surprised what a little happiness can do, after all, the only way to escape a dark dungeon is to turn on the lights," Gennai winked with a smile and opened a door, leaving Luminel outside with a bemused look on her face.

888

"Be careful," Whamon called as he retreated back to the sea, "The dangers on Server are greater than those of the islands, greater than anything you've faced, and if Arkadimon survived the battle on Setup, he'll be pretty cranky."

"We'll be careful," Kisho called back as he waved. "Don't worry!"

The digi-destined turned to the port city Whamon had dropped them off. Digimon were bustling about, loading ships and unloading cargo. Most of them were small Rookies, but the larger Champion digimon stood out amongst them like giants.

"It's a city," Haru said as he looked around.

"Well duh," Taku said as he walked forward. "So now what are we supposed to do?"

"That's a good question," Ren said as she looked around, "I mean we can't really just sit here. We have the Dark Digimental too…"

"Shhh!" hissed Kisho as he turned around and glared at Ren, "Don't say that so loudly, we don't know what kind of spies are lurking around, or if any of the digimon here are possessed by Arkadimon."

"That's pretty smart, Kisho," chirped Dorimon as he hopped around the boy.

"It still doesn't fix the problem we're in," replied Haru as he looked around, "We don't know anyone, and we don't have any direction. For all we know we could be in great danger."

"How's the digimental?" Kisho turned and looked at Taku.

"It's ok…" whispered Taku as he looked at the object that they had hidden under a cloth.

"I don't think we should carry this around so brazenly," Renamon whispered as she eyed the cloth. "Anyone could just take it from us…"

"Yeah, and what if we get captured," DemiDevimon said loudly, "if the digimental fell into the wrong hands…"

"Maybe we should find a place to hide it until we find out what's going on," said Guilmon.

"Where'd we hide it?" Haru whispered.

"A bank…" Kisho replied quietly.

"What?" The others looked at Kisho in surprise.

"A bank…" Kisho pointed up at one of the buildings. "We can put it in a safe deposit box…"

"Do you have the rental fee?" sniped Haru quietly.

"Oh…well…I guess that wasn't such a good plan…" Kisho sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Maybe…we can get one of the digimon here to cover for us…" Jiro looked up at the others. "We might be able to persuade someone to help us out."

"No, it's too dangerous," Renamon said as she looked at the boy.

"Then we hold onto it," Ren said quietly. She looked up at Taku, "We could hold it in shifts, so we each are in a share of the danger."

"No…it's actually not that heavy…" whispered Taku as he looked down at the cloth. "I can handle it…"

"But Arkadimon is looking for you," Kisho said as he turned, "He'll really want to get his claws on you if you carry the digimental. Please, Taku…"

"It's strange…" Taku said as he looked at the cloth concealing the black crystal ball. "If I look at it long enough, I feel like it's calling my name."

"Ok…that's it," Haru said as he took the digimental out of Taku's hands. The black haired boy growled and struggled but Haru yanked and Taku lost grip of the digimental. "It's for your own good; it was messing with your mind."

"I'm fine, I don't need you protecting me," Taku narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Guys, don't start!" Kisho snarled as he stepped between them. "One of these days you guys are going to have to get along and trust each other!"

"I'll tolerate him, but don't force me to get chummy with him," Haru said as he walked away from Taku.

"Like I'd really want to be your friend," Taku shouted.

"Stop it," Kisho glared at Taku, "Just stop…" His eyes flitted back to Haru, "Both of you…"

"Come on, let's explore the city, maybe we can find something that can point us in a direction," Ren suggested nervously as she smiled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, you never know what you'll find until you look!" cheered Jiro as he followed Ren, carrying Koromon.

Kisho smiled at Ren and Jiro and then looked at Taku and nodded. Kisho took Taku's hand gently and led after the others.

888

"You shall occupy their time, and lead them to the city square," said a regal voice out of the shadows of the alley. "I have to negotiate with an ally of ours in the region…"

"Don't worry, by the time I get done with them, you may not need your ally!" giggled a child-sized goblin.

It was a blue bodied creature with a large head. The head was covered in a black, hooded mask with two eyes, one red and one green, painted where the proper optical orbs were to be. The only portion of the mask cut was a place for the mouth, which was grinning with a large tooth filled smile. Its hands ended in long, crimson claws. The hands' palms held one eye each. One eye was green one eye was red. A small pair of, blue bat wings wrapped around its waist like a belt; the wings joined at the gremlins midriff. Claws extended from the wings and were attached to a large azure pearl in the middle of the gremlin's stomach. The pearl held up a pair of black pants which led down to a pair of blue feet which ended, like the hands, in long crimson claws.

"Don't attack them, unless necessary, and do not destroy them!" growled the voice, "The master has a specific plan for them! He wants the black haired child alive…and he has a specific plan for dealing with the others. He wants them to stay alive at least for now."

"Awe, but that's not fair!" whined the goblin as he hovered on small bat wings.

"Fair is not what we're interested in," replied the voice. A pair of icy blue eyes glowed in the shadows. The light of the eyes twinkled along the edges of two fangs, "We're here to do a job for the master."

"So what are you going to do, specifically?" growled the gremlin as he clenched and unclenched his clawed hands.

A silver fox stepped out of the shadows; nine equally silver tails elegantly swept behind the fox. "I have a dragon to awaken."

"You're calling him an ally? He'll probably rip you to shreds…that is if you get there," chuckled the gremlin as a wide toothy grin spread. "That place is heavily guarded. Heh. Good luck, Kyuubimon."

"I don't need luck," growled the fox as he glared down at the gremlin. "The protection there is weak, those fools act like they're the ones that sealed him in, but they're nothing compared to me," The silver nine tailed fox turned slowly back towards the shadows. "Those insolent weaklings will be dealt with, trust me…"

The fox stepped into the darkness faded into the shadow like it was portal. The gremlin turned to the street. He giggled as the five children walked past with their digimon. He lifted his palms and the eyes narrowed. The gremlin hovered slowly up to the edge of the alley and peered after them.

"Now how am I supposed to keep them occupied without attacking them?" whimpered the gremlin. He slipped out of the alley and followed them, carefully edging alongside the buildings. The humans were arguing about something. He zipped behind crates as he tried to get closer.

"No! I'm sure we went that way!" shouted one of the children. It was wearing a skirt. "I'm sure!"

"No, you dork, we turned two blocks ago we didn't go that way!" shouted the black haired boy as he shook his head and pointed down one of the side streets. "If we went back that way we'd only get more lost!"

"I'm sure if we continue to go down this street we'll see something familiar," said the taller of two yellow haired children.

"Haru's right," said a brown haired child with a pair of goggles on his head. "I'm sure we just got turned around, if we just keep going we're bound to see something…"

"Why can't we ask for directions?" asked the smaller of the blonde children.

"No…we don't know anyone here," the taller of the blonde children retorted, "They may try to trick us or steal the digimental."

"Just like a man," the child in the skirt pouted as it crossed its arms. "Don't dare ask directions; it may make you look weak."

"It's not that," the taller blonde replied, "We don't know where exactly we're going…all we know is that it was by the harbor and we don't even know whether we want to go to the harbor."

"At least that place was familiar," sighed the black haired boy.

"Slightly," the brown haired boy looked around. "Maybe we should just hope to find a restaurant or a shelter or something…"

"I've got it…" chuckled the gremlin as he started to snicker. He ran forward towards the children, lifting his hand and waving. He smiled his most endearing smile.

The children stopped and turned to him. He stopped and looked at each member of the group.

"Hello," said the brown haired boy who was wearing a pair of goggles on his head.

"Hi," said the gremlin cheerfully, trying to hide his enthusiasm.

"Do we know you?" asked the taller of the blonde children. The bulky red dragon at his side lumbered forward and sniffed the gremlin.

"Ack!" yelped the gremlin as he slapped the dragon away. "Gah, talk about invasion of personal space!"

"Guilmon…" The taller blonde whispered as he gently touched the dragon's shoulder. The red and black digimon stepped back and looked at the gremlin. The boy then glared down at the gremlin, "Who are you?"

"I am Dracmon!" replied the gremlin with a smile. "I'm your guide to this seaport town!"

"Uh huh…" Haru said as he turned and started to walk away, "Come on guys, this guy sounds like hustler…"

"OI!" yelped Dracmon as the blue gremlin shot in front of the children. "You can't just leave me! I was sent by the Order! You are the kids that destroyed Baronmon at File Island weren't you?"

The children stopped and turned to the gremlin. The brown haired boy with the goggles looked at the blonde, "He knows about that stuff…maybe he is a guide…"

"He may just be aware of current events, too," Taku said with a sneer as he glared at Dracmon. "I don't like the look of him…"

"We don't have much of a choice…I mean he doesn't look that strong, so if he is a troublemaker we could deal with him," whispered the brown haired boy.

Dracmon growled at the brown haired boy but quickly hid it under a smile when the children and their digimon looked at him. The children looked back at the brown haired boy.

"It's better than wandering around," said the child in the dress. "Like Kisho said, we can protect ourselves if worse comes to worse."

"Ren has a point," said the goggle headed child. He nodded at the child in the dress, "Fine, Dracmon, lead us, but if things start to smell fishy we're leaving."

"Then we better not go back to the harbor," giggled Dorimon as he hopped around the goggle head.

"This way!" shouted Dracmon as he glided down the street. He turned from the children and sneered and giggled, "Yes, my little goslings…follow me around."

888

Three groups of three metal beasts rolled along the mountain ridge in front of a cave. They had large, tracked wheels. A muscular blue dragon body projected from the armored tank lower body. Large Gattling cannons jutted out of the metal beast. The nine dragons stopped on their patrols and turned their heads upwards.

"Who goes there?" growled the dragon tanks. "None shall proceed into this area!"

"Hehehe," chuckled a deep, regal voice. A silver, nine-tailed fox phased into existence a few meters from the edge. "You Tankdramon act so powerful, as if you were the ones to seal him in here, but you're nothing but weaklings."

"How dare you insult us, intruder?" growled the largest of the dragons. "A weak Champion like you will pay for spurning us!"

"Give it your best shot, rust buckets," the fox chuckled as it hovered in the air.

"I'm getting sick of that laugh!" growled one of the other dragons and a pair of cannons that jutted from its back started to glow. "Striper Cannon!"

Streams of striped energy shot towards the fox. A bemused grin played over the snout of the kitsune digimon. A dome of energy flared around the fox as the dragon's attack swept past.

"What?" growled the leader Tankdramon.

"Heh, I'm not your normal Champion digimon," The fox chuckled as he unfurled his nine tails straight out. "Allow me to demonstrate…" Nine balls of fire appeared at the tips of the tails. "Fox Tail Inferno!" The nine fire balls flew forward. They morphed into nine, bat-like apparitions and opened their wings and then curled them around the tank dragons, hugging the armored beasts tightly, "Kohenkyo!"

The nine fire bats disappeared into the air. The fox glided to the ridge and touched down on the ground. The vulpine digimon slowly walked into the cave the dragons were guarding. The interior the mountain was dark and dry. As the fox proceeded forward the ground warmed and the air started to smell of sulfur. A soft red glow appeared at the end of tunnel. The fox smirked as he walked to the interior opening of the tunnel. An orange wall of energy covered the tunnel's opening.

"A barrier that most would see as impassable, I see as quite easily broken," said the fox quietly, "but then again I know what to do…"

The fox's eyes flared and the orange energy field shifted and dissipated. The kitsune stepped onto the edge of the chamber beyond the barrier. Steam and smoke rushed up to the tunnel as it shot through the tunnel to escape to the outside. The fox looked down the ledge that he walked onto. Below a lake of flame and molten rock bubbled and seethed. A pair of eyes flared bright red against the orange magma.

"Finally…" said a growling voice. A large reptilian head rose out of the magma. A long neck lifted from the liquid rock. The skin of the dragon was made or rock, but cracks in the skin revealed glowing lava underneath. Small volcanoes erupted on either side of the dragon's spine.

"Don't celebrate yet, Volcdramon," said the fox. "You have work to do first."

"Who dares make demands of me?" growled the dragon as he rose out of the lava. The quadruped dragon rose up on its hind legs and glared at the fox. "I don't take commands from weaklings."

"Another high and mighty Ultimate digimon…" growled the fox as he took a step back. "Do I have to prove myself to you as well?"

"Volcanic Fount!" roared the dragon as he belched noxious fumes and lava at the fox. The fox glared and an azure bubble glowed against the liquid rock and gas.

"You've been lounging around in this pit for too long, Volcdramon," said the fox as it leapt from the ledge and swept around the dragon, hovering over the pit.

"You can't hide behind your little shield forever, fox," growled the dragon as he opened his mouth and released another wave of flame and gas. The kitsune was pushed across the pit by the flames.

"Then maybe I should change my game plan," chuckled the fox as it glowed. Nine baubles of blue flame appeared at the ends of its tails. The nine fire balls spread out so that they formed a circle around Volcdramon. The fox smirked, "You couldn't destroy me alone; how would you like to face me times ten?"

The nine balls of light morphed into silver foxes. The dragon looked around at the circle of foxes that surrounded him. The dragon lips curled up, "You plan to destroy me with tricks?"

"Tricks? I'd take offense to that if you weren't so laughably mistaken," said the foxes as they circled Volcdramon. Blue flames wrapped around the foxes. "Dragon Wheel!"

Ten flaming, blue dragons roared toward Volcdramon and swept through the lava dragon. Volcdramon growled as the fiery attack thrust past. The ten foxes were chuckling as they hovered in a circle around the chamber.

"Fiery attacks like that won't hurt me," Volcdramon snorted as he glared at the foxes. "Though I will admit, they all felt real…"

"They were real, dolt!" growled the foxes.

"Let's test that little theory," Volcdramon snarled as the lava that filled the pit below started to glow. "If they are all real then you will all feel pain when I attack! Circle of Death!"

The lava glowed brightly and exploded upward. The fire and smoke swirled in all directions in a large circle. The flames and smoke cleared. Volcdramon chuckled quietly as he watched the foxes slide down the wall of the cavern. Volcdramon's eyes narrowed though as something happened to nine of the foxes. Their skin wavered and then sloughed off like film, revealing nine tank/dragon cyborgs. The nine dragon tanks disappeared in dust bursts. Only one fox remained. Volcdramon smashed his clawed foot against the fox pinning the vulpine creature against the wall of the cave. The fox gasped as the air was pushed out of its lungs. The fox's surprised look soon relaxed into a cool smirk.

"Go on ahead, destroy me, get your freedom," growled the fox quietly.

"I will!" growled Volcdramon as he pushed even further.

"But…" wheezed the fox, "Then my masters would be most displeased, and they would have to come back and reseal you."

"Your masters?" growled Volcdramon, "Reseal me!"

"Why not? They did it once," the fox smirked, "though, with the way things are, they may not waste their time sealing you and instead just kill you."

"Your masters are…" Volcdramon's paw pulled back.

"Of course, how else would I have broken the barrier?" replied the fox as he shook himself off. "Now, I'm here to offer you an alternative, do this one chore for us, and you'll be free, no questions asked. You'll get all your territory back and freedom to do with it what you will."

"What's the chore?" growled Volcdramon as he glared down at the fox.

"Capturing five small children and their Rookie digimon," the fox smirked. "Are you going to do this for us?"

The dragon growled and nodded begrudgingly.

888

"This way!" shouted Dracmon. The blue skinned gremlin hovered into a giant square.

"He's been leading around by our noses all afternoon." Haru grumbled as he looked up at Dracmon. "I don't like this, we're being tricked. I don't know what it is he wants, but he wants something…"

"The Dark Digimental," whispered Ren quietly, as she lifted her eyes to look at Haru.

"Possibly," Taku said as she looked as the gremlin ahead of them slowed up and turned to them.

"Children stay here, I have to check something," Dracmon said as he clasped his hands. "Don't worry; someone will be with you shortly!"

The gremlin hovered off down one of the streets.

"He's lying to us…" growled Haru quietly as he clenched his fists.

"We don't know that," Kisho replied as he watched Dracmon disappear down the street. "We should just wait and see."

"And if this is a trap?" Haru growled.

"Then we'll deal with it," Kisho said.

"Not me, I'm going to find out what's going on!" Haru ran after Dracmon with Guilmon not far behind.

"Hey!" shouted Kisho as Haru ran down the street.

"Let him go," Taku said quietly as he watched Haru leave. "If we chase after him, we'll all get separated. We should just wait till he gets back."

"But he has the digimental," Kisho replied.

"Guilmon's with him, don't worry, the digimental won't get taken without a fight," Renamon said to Kisho.

Kisho was about to reply when the ground under his feet shifted and shook. Flames exploded in all directions from under the ground. The voices of hundreds of terrified digimon screamed through the air.

"We just got out of a volcanic situation!" screamed Ren as she held onto Kisho, "Why are we in another one?"

"Dorimon digivolve to DORUmon!" the purple fur ball leapt forward and tackled Ren and Kisho as he glowed and evolved into his Rookie form.

"Koromon digivolve to Agumon!" The pink soccer ball shaped digimon glowed and pushed Jiro out of the way of a geyser of flame.

Renamon grabbed Ren from the ground and leapt into the air. DemiDevimon pulled Taku to one side. DORUmon gripped Kisho's hand.

"We need to get out of here!" yelped the purple fox-raptor.

"You're going no where," growled a voice from under the ground, "Circle of Death!" Suddenly the earth erupted in a flaming column catching all the children in the square.

888

Haru chased Dracmon into a dark alley. The gremlin hissed and spun around angrily as Haru and Guilmon clenched their fists. They stepped forward.

The gremlin scowled. "You were supposed to stay with the others!"

"I don't trust you," Haru said as he took another step forward. He pointed at Dracmon when the ground shook. The sky turned orange as a spire of flame shot into the air. "I knew it! It was a trap you lied to us!"

"Hehe…you were such a fool," Dracmon lifted his hands and the eyes on his palms glowed, "Eye of Nightmare!" A green and red beam shot from his palms and flew at Haru. The blonde haired boy gulped as the lights rushed through his head. Dracmon smirked quietly, "Ah the nightmares you have and the fears that feed your psyche." Dracmon's grin grew as he shifted his hands around. "How fitting…"

"What…happened…?" Haru glared at Dracmon. "What did you do?"

"You're such a little hypocrite, being angry at me for lying, when you're the largest liar of all," Dracmon's sneer grew. "Maybe you're trying to punish those that remind you of yourself?"

"I haven't lied to anyone!" Haru growled loudly as he clenched his fists.

"Oh you haven't?" Dracmon glided forward. "What about your brother? The child you hold so dear…yet you hide the facts from him; you lied to him…"

Haru's eyes twitched and his hands clenched and unclenched around the Dark Digimental. Suddenly, Haru leapt forward and grabbed Dracmon by the throat with one hand and thrust the gremlin against the wall of a building.

"What do you know?" Haru growled as he tightened his grip around the gremlin's throat and looked to the sky, "What's going on?"

"Go ahead strangle me," Dracmon chuckled quietly. "Volcdramon has captured the others and he'll destroy them. It's just another life you'll have to explain away…I wonder what you'll do after Volcdramon gets done with your friends and family, will you go home and say nothing again."

"You don't understand!" Haru's grip tightened around Dracmon's neck. "We have to protect him!"

"Hehe, the question is should someone be protecting him from his protectors," Dracmon smirked quietly.

Haru growled and his fingers dug into Dracmon's skin, "You think you're so smart because you can see into my mind…but what am I thinking now?"

"Haru!" Guilmon grabbed Haru's arm. "Don't do it!"

"Hehe, go ahead, give Volcdramon the chance to finish off the others, while you're tearing into me, Volcdramon will destroy them all," said the gremlin with an evil smile. "You can always just tell your mother that your brother just ran away…you can even write letters from him to convince her…"

"You…" Haru growled loudly as tightened his grip. "You will…you will…take me to where Volcdramon has taken them!"

"Ha!" chuckled Dracmon. "Don't count on it!"

Haru growled and threw Dracmon against another wall of the alley. The hand around the Dark Digimental had white knuckles. "Guilmon, let's go! He's of no use to me…"

"Haru…" Guilmon looked up at the blonde haired boy.

"Come on, let's go back to the others, we have to help them," Haru snorted as he turned to run back up the street. "We have to!" Haru narrowed his eyes, _"I'm not going to be forced to lie anymore."_

"Ok, Haru…" Guilmon nodded and looked at Haru.

The blonde turned and ran back in the direction of the square. Guilmon looked back into the alley. Dracmon was leaning against a wall, rubbing his neck. The dragon turned and ran after Haru. Haru ran faster as the sky exploded in a second blast of flame. Guilmon chased after Haru as he came upon a plume of smoke and skidded to a halt. Guilmon trotted to a stop next to Haru. There was a giant hole in the ground where the square used to be.

"No…" Haru hissed as he looked in the still smoking hole.

"He left a tunnel to follow," said Guilmon optimistically.

"It will do you no good," said a voice quietly behind Haru.

The blonde turned. It was a digimon. It was dress liked a samurai and held a long, rusted sword. A golden helmet covered an aged demonic face.

"Who are you?" Haru growled as he clenched his fists, "One of Dracmon's friends?"

"No, just an old Musyamon…" replied the samurai quietly. "Volcdramon is too powerful…he was the master of this territory a long time ago…we were forced to give him tributes. We did that for a long time, and then four digimon came out of the west and sealed him away into a mountain…we thought we were free, but no, these new lords were and are worse, they take our young to be in their armies and demand thrice the amount of tribute to them…and if we resist they destroy us, or threaten to release Volcdramon…it seems we did not please them…"

"Other lords?" Haru shook his head and looked down at the hole, "It doesn't matter how strong he is or anything else like that. I'm the only one that can help the others. I have to try…I won't let them slide through my fingers."

"Haru, I'm with you," Guilmon looked up at the blonde. "I want to help the others. No matter what."

"Then it's decided, we're going in," Haru jumped into the hole. Guilmon jumped after him.

"Those youngsters have no idea what they're in for," grumbled the samurai as he watched them disappear into the darkness.

888

"There!" growled Volcdramon as he looked up at a cell adjacent to the volcanic chamber he was resting in. "I have them captured."

"Wrong…" growled the fox quietly as he hovered above the lava pit. "You have only four, and you did not gather the digimental!"

"It doesn't matter; I've done most of the work!" growled Volcdramon loudly.

"Tsk, tsk, payment can't be given until the job is done," whispered the fox.

"Kyuubimon, you are treading a fine line between survival and utter oblivion," growled Volcdramon as he climbed out of the pit and clawed his way to a large tunnel burrowed into the cave wall.

"How is it that these children are still asleep?" asked Kyuubimon as the silvery fox hovered in front of the cell.

"I have established a heat barrier that holds a perfect ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen," replied Volcdramon as he turned his metallic head, "Enough of a concentration of carbon dioxide to keep them unconscious, but also enough oxygen to keep them alive…"

"I have to give you credit…that's quite ingenious," replied Kyuubimon as he watched the children sleeping.

Volcdramon turned to exit when an explosion pushed the large, molten dragon off his precarious perch on the ledge. A large, yellow cyborg stomped into the main chamber. A child walked up to the side of the dragon.

"Huh?" Kyuubimon looked up and growled. He lowered his head and phased into the air.

"So this is where you live, Volcdramon," growled the blonde. He glared down at the dragon, "I have to say, you need a redecorator."

"How dare you, strike me in my own home, I Lord Volcdramon!" roared the dragon as he rose out of the lava.

"Did I mention you're a bit on the ugly side…?" The blonde glared down at the dragon.

"You're pretty confident for an insect!" growled Volcdramon. He opened his mouth. "Volcanic Fount!"

A stream of flame of liquid rock shot up at the child and the dragon cyborg. The cyborg grabbed the boy and leapt off the ledge flying with its large metallic wings. The stream of liquid rock splashed on the wall of chamber.

"Raptordramon, lets give him a little of his own medicine!" shouted Haru loudly as he pointed down.

The cyborg's head charged with energy and he opened his mouth, "Crash Charge!"

A pulse of electrical energy exploded into the lava dragon. Volcdramon snorted and shook off the attack. Volcdramon replied with another stream of liquid rock that clipped Raptordramon's wings. The cyborg dove for the ledge grabbing the rocky edge.

"Raptordramon are you ok?" grunted Haru as he held the wings of the digimon.

"I'm fine, but you're the vulnerable one," growled Raptordramon as he scrambled up to the edge. "Hurry, you go free the others. I'll hold off Volcdramon."

"But…" Haru started.

"GO!" shouted Raptordramon as he turned his head. "He's coming!"

"Volcanic Fount!" roared Volcdramon releasing another flood of lava. Raptordramon turned and took the hit to the chassis and was thrust onto the ledge.

"Raptordramon…" whispered Haru as he looked at the dragon.

"Go…I can do it…" whispered Raptordramon. The dragon stood up with a groan. "Hey, big guy!"

"Fool, you're nothing but a weak Champion; you shouldn't be so brazen as to strike against me!" growled Volcdramon as he clawed his way up toward Raptordramon.

"Well, let's just say I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box," shouted Raptordramon as he leapt off the ledge and extended his wings. The chassis on his chest opened and two missiles flew down at Volcdramon. The volcanic dragon pushed through the missiles and roared forward.

"Volcanic Fount!" roared Volcdramon as he fired a blaze of liquid into Raptordramon slamming the cyborg against the walls of the chamber. "Just quit!"

"Never!" roared Raptordramon as he peeled himself from the wall. "Crash Charge!" A stream of electricity snapped across Volcdramon's body.

"Some never learn!" Volcdramon opened his mouth and fired a blast of lava, slamming Raptordramon back into the wall.

"Hurry…" murmured Raptordramon, "I can't hold him…"

"I'm trying!" Haru ran to the cell. "There's a barrier!"

"Trying to free my ticket to freedom?" roared Volcdramon. The lava dragon turned towards Haru. "I don't think so! Volcanic Fount!"

"Haru!" Raptordramon dove between Haru and the blast and was crushed against the wall above the cell.

"No! Raptordramon…" Haru looked up as the dragon pushed away from the wall and took flight.

"Don't worry about me, Haru; you have to save the others! Now do it!" shouted Raptordramon as he fired missiles into Volcdramon. The lava dragon snorted the missiles away.

Haru looked into the barrier and saw his brother lying on the ground next to Agumon. He was sleeping so deeply and peacefully, that's how he was supposed to be. Haru narrowed his eyes; he couldn't put his brother through sleepless night. That's why he had to lie.

"Haru!" Raptordramon groaned as he was smashed against a wall by liquid rock.

"No, I can't let him sleep like this…without knowing the full truth…" Haru closed his eyes and clenched his hand around the Dark Digimental. "I don't care what I have to do, but I'm going to do it, so that I can tell you the truth Jiro!"

Haru slammed the ball of the Dark Digimental against the barrier. A black arc of energy slashed across the surface of the heat field. The barrier shattered. A stream of stuffy air flew past him and he coughed. Haru ran to his brother.

"Volcanic Fount!" roared Volcdramon as another stream slammed Raptordramon against the wall. The cyborg slid down the wall and he landed crumpled on the ledge. Volcdramon rose up and looked into the cell, "I have you all now, and the digimental; I shall be free, totally free! Sleep forever child!"

"No!" Haru looked up. "I can't let you do that! I need to protect the others, they're relying on me!" The tag and crest that hung around Haru's chest glowed brightly. "I need to tell my brother the truth!"

An arrow of lavender energy flew past Volcdramon's head. The lava dragon turned his head around and saw as the energy shot Raptordramon. The cyborg stood. His wings melted into a flowing cloak. Two spikes shot up from his shoulders. His dragon body turned into a more humanoid form.

"Raptordramon digivolve to…" The light faded revealing a knight, covered in bronze armor from helmet to clawed foot. Two sheathes hung on the knight's hips and he drew the blades from the sheaths. "…Grademon!"

"What witchcraft is this?" roared Volcdramon as he leapt towards the swordsman.

"Grademon…" Haru looked at the swordsman as he ran along the walls being chased by a stream of lava.

The knight kicked off of the rock face toward Volcdramon. Grademon's long blue cape swirled as he twisted through the air. "Crossing Blade!"

The crossed swords that Grademon held glowed as he twirled toward Volcdramon. Volcdramon roared in pain as Grademon twisted through the dragon and exploded out of the lava beast's back slicing the blades free of one another. The swordsman then touched down on the ledge and leapt upwards as Volcdramon crashed backward. The knight's cape flowed elegantly behind him as he turned back toward Volcdramon.

"I won't be destroyed when I'm so close to freedom!" growled Volcdramon as he opened his mouth. "Circle of Death!" An explosion from the pit sent a column of flame upward toward Grademon.

"Grade SLASH!" Grademon turned and sliced through the flames sending a cutting pulse straight down the throat of Volcdramon.

The rocky skin of Volcdramon fell from his molten body. The metal cover of his head fell off.

The dragon's eyes sharpened for a second in a flash of recognition, "Freedom…." the soft sigh of the dragon came as his liquid body fell into the lava pit below, merging and becoming one with the magma lake.

Grademon dropped down and looked into the cell. "Are you ok, Haru?"

"I'm fine, help me get the others out of here," replied the blonde as he carried his brother to the swordsman. "They're safe I think, just sleeping."

Slowly Haru carried the others to Grademon who held them in his arms. Haru then scrambled up on the knight's back. Grademon leapt from the ledge and into the tunnel that he and Haru had used to get to the chamber and then ran back down the tunnel.

888

"I thought I told you to get them all gathered in the city square," Dracmon jumped at the sound of his superior. The little digimon was eating a sandwich. He turned slowly and looked into the shadows. Two piercing blue eyes cut through the darkness.

"I-I tried, but the one didn't stay he chased me! It wasn't my plan!" Dracmon said as he leapt up.

"You should've stayed there then!" growled the voice as the eyes moved forward. The fox appeared out of the shadows its silvery fur darkened to black by the shadows.

"And get killed by Volcdramon? No way, I didn't sign up for that!" shouted Dracmon. "I have better things to do with my time than getting killed for you!"

"You're tomfoolery has cost us the chance to get our task done!" growled the fox as he stepped forward. "I will not be punished by our master because of your shortcomings!"

"What do you mean?" growled Dracmon as he glared at the fox.

"It means I'm going to make sure that this doesn't happen again," growled the fox as his eyes burned with icy blue flame. He raised a single tail. It was tipped with a blue flame.

"What are you going to do?" Dracmon gulped and hovered backward. He stopped and growled, "I see how it is! You don't scare me! Eat this! Undead Fang!" Dracmon opened his mouth and a wave of dark energy flew forward filled with tiny black slivers.

The fox smirked and the energy wave dispersed; the slivers halted in midair and faded into dust. The fox flicked its raised tail forward. "Fox tail Inferno!"

The single fireball flew forward and engulfed Dracmon. The gremlin screamed loudly and his sandwich flew into the air, crashing to the ground. The gremlin howled loudly and writhed on the ground. The fox smirked and watched as Dracmon cried in pain.

"Please stop it!" cried Dracmon loudly as he twisted in pain. "Please I beg you, please! It hurts! Stop it please, Kyuubimon!"

"Ok…" Kyuubimon smirked. Another tail lifted and he flashed his tail forward. Dracmon screamed loudly as another flame engulfed him. "Oops, I think I've only made it worse…"

"PLEAAAAASE! MAKE IT STOP!" cried Dracmon loudly.

"I don't suffer such weakness in my ranks," Kyuubimon growled softly and revealed two white fangs, "This world is not for the likes of you…" Kyuubimon's eyes flared softly and the fire covering Dracmon erupted into a larger blaze of blue light. The gremlin's screams ceased as the flames faded leaving nothing but ash behind. "I should never have called such a weakling like that a minion." The fox backed into the shadows. His blue eyes glowed brightly and then disappeared into the darkness.

888

"Where are we?" Taku's eyes snapped open and he looked around.

"One of the houses in the city," replied Ren quietly. She was sitting at a table. "Evidently, a digimon Haru met…"

"Talking about Haru…" Taku looked around. "Where is he?"

"He's talking with Jiro," Kisho walked into the room.

"What happened?" Taku grumbled as he rubbed his head.

"Evidently we were captured and Haru came to save us…" Kisho said quietly as sat down next to Ren and took a loaf of bread from a bowl in the middle of the table.

"What about the digimon?" Taku sat up.

"Sleeping, they were drained by the sneak attack," Kisho said as he took a bite of bread.

"I see…" Taku got up and walked over to the table.

888

"Why…did you lie to me…?" Jiro looked up at Haru. He closed his eyes. It had been twenty minutes since Haru had told his younger brother the truth. Tears were still streaming from the little boy's eyes. He hiccupped every few seconds. "I just…why did you have to lie?"

"We wanted to protect you; we didn't want you to be hurt…" Haru said quietly as he looked down at his brother. "We weren't sure how to tell you…it was my fault…Jiro. I should've told you…"

"You were only trying to protect me," Jiro said quietly. He looked down at the ground. "I understand…"

"Don't do this…" Haru lifted his brother's chin, "don't bottle it up. It's ok if you're mad at me."

"I'm not really angry…" Jiro looked down and sighed. "I'm just confused," He bit his lower lip. "Is that why you've been mad at me and treating me badly? Why were you such a jerk when we were home anyways?"

"I-I…I-I…just…I wanted you to be mad at me…I wanted to make you hard inside," Haru whispered quietly. "I knew I was doing something wrong…and I wanted to be punished about it, so I treated you badly when we were at home, and then when we got here…I couldn't let you get hurt…I'd already hurt you enough…"

"Haru…" Jiro looked up at his brother.

"I'm sorry, Jiro, I shouldn't have let it get this far," Haru looked down. "I'm really sorry, Jiro, it was wrong…"

Jiro wrapped his arms around Haru. Jiro started to cry quietly against his brother, "I…forgive you Haru, you're my brother," He looked up at Haru with a tear stained smile, "I love you."

"Hey!" The two brothers snapped their heads up. Kisho was standing at the corner of the house. "We have a guest…and this one is really from Gennai…"

"Ok…" Haru looked down at Jiro, "We'll talk more, about this later, ok."

"Ok, Haru," Jiro sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

"Oh, Jiro, you can do better than that," Haru pulled a tissue from his pocket.

"Hey guys!" Kisho shouted, "Please, this is kind of important."

"We're coming!" Haru snapped and glowered. He looked down at Jiro, "Come on, before Kisho blows a fuse…"

Jiro giggled quietly and nodded blowing his nose. "Ok…"

888

"I am Stingmon," said a green, bipedal wasp warrior. Large, lace-like wings were extended from his back. "I've been sent by the Order and specifically from Gennai."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Taku said as he looked at the wasp.

Stingmon lifted up a sealed letter. "This is from the Order's headquarters in the west."

"Well…" Taku opened the letter and read it. "It definitely seems official…and…from Gennai…"

Taku passed the letter to Kisho and the others. They nodded and looked up at the insect digimon.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Kisho said as he tucked the letter into his pocket.

"I'm to lead you to a safe territory in the north, from there you'll take an express to a village in the mountains," Stingmon replied, "Gennai said he'll meet you there."

"Ah…so…are we supposed to ride on your back? Or something?" Ren asked as she looked at Stingmon.

"Actually…" Stingmon glowed brightly and morphed into a large beast with insect wings. It had a dragon like body covered in green armor. "I was given a little packet of digivolutional energy to allow me to digivolve to Dinobeemon. Climb on."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to make you feel like an animal or anything," Ren looked at Dinobeemon. "I know I wouldn't like to be treated like a horse…"

"It's ok, I was ready for this," Dinobeemon chuckled and he picked up Ren and put her on his back.

Renamon leapt up and landed lightly next to Ren. Kisho and the others climbed up on the large dinosaur bee.

"Thanks Musyamon!" called a small digimon that sat on Haru's head. It was a squat, red digimon with a fluffy tail.

"It was nothing Gigimon…if anything we owe you something for getting rid of Volcdramon," said the old samurai as he waved at the children.

The large wings on the back of Dinobeemon whirred to life. The large insect slowly lifted off the ground and buzzed upward. The children waved down at Musyamon. Dinobeemon slowly turned to the northwest. His body shifted forward and he buzzed on his way northward.

**888**

**AN: Sorry for the wait, had exams and such. This chapter is an opening for the new arc. Some familiar faces some not so familiar faces. **

**Blue: Sort of by your suggestion, I've been debating this for a while. Frankly the way I envision HishaRyuumon (Raptordramon's originally intended Ultimate form) just was too big…ie in order for it to be a proper battle HishaRyuumon needs enemies like Majiramon and Megadramon…so I opted for the big digimon to be DORUgremon, something a little smaller but still big. **

**Seals: Thanks I try my best.**

**Alforce: I got something special for Magnamon. Yes, something quite special. Yep Sukamon is…will be Etemon… I'm hoping to fix Ren's brat thing…starting with this chapter. **

**Dark Qiviut: Taku's history is a bit of a counterpoint to Arkadimon's. I like Arkadimon, though he tends to be Naraku-ish, where he retreats, but part of that has to do with the Digital World defenses. **


	24. For Home and Hearth

**I don't own digimon**

**For Home and Hearth**

**888**

Kyuubimon galloped through the forest. He loved the night, so cold, so unhindered, and best of all the hated sun was not out to blind his eyes and warm his cold blood. The digi-destined and their helper, Dinobeemon, were making a jaunt to the north. He narrowed his eyes. It only meant one thing. They were going to the holdings of the arthropods. The only territory on Server his master was unable to control wholly. If the digimental and the humans escaped into that territory it would become exceedingly difficult to capture them or the digimental.

He leapt over a stream and continued to chase the large insect as it buzzed ahead of him by about half a kilometer. He was about to take flight when two nearly identical lupine forms appeared in front of him. He slid to a stop and growled. His tails lifted up and growled softly.

"We have been sent by the master," announced the wolf beast on the left.

They were both the same kind of digimon. The moonlight glistened on their purple tinted, platinum fur. They looked just like a wolf, save for the bat-winged projections that swept up from the sides of their heads and from their shoulders and the fact that their forepaws had large, blade-enhanced gauntlets. The flanks and tail of the wolves were decorated with blood red designs. They took another step forward and Kyuubimon only puffed his fur up.

"What does he want?" growled Kyuubimon as he looked to the sky. An annoyed rumble threaded through his chest as he heard the helicopter-like beats of Dinobeemon's wings fade into the distance.

"He has requested your recall to the palace, Kyuubimon," announced the wolf on the right.

The left wolf nodded and its black eyes shimmered in the moonlight, "Your immediate recall, we're to escort you back."

"I don't need a couple of Sangloupmon bodyguards to lead me home," growled Kyuubimon as he turned. "It doesn't matter anyways; I have other things I must do, like capture those children…"

"That is why you are being recalled, Kyuubimon," said the left wolf. "The master wishes to speak to you about them."

Kyuubimon narrowed his eyes. _"This isn't good, the master never talks to anyone about their failed missions…unless…" _Kyuubimon's lips rose to reveal a pair of razor sharp incisors. "The master will have to wait! I have a mission to complete!"

Kyuubimon leapt into the air.

"Black Mind!" howled the two wolves as a black streak of lightning whipped up from their foreheads and engulfed Kyuubimon. The fox dropped to the ground. "You will go back to the palace as the master instructed, Kyuubimon."

The fox stood slowly and mechanically turned to the two wolves and he spoke quietly in a slow, dazed tone. "I will do as requested."

The wolves unfurled the wings on their shoulders and took flight. Kyuubimon took up a position, equidistance between the wolves and as one they disappeared into the night sky.

888

The wings of Dinobeemon had the strange effect of putting the children to sleep soon after they had resumed their trek after they had stopped to eat their evening meal. The large insect whirred through the air as the children slept. They would enter the safe territory by daybreak.

After he drops the digi-destined off he would then be able to investigate the rumors that the insect digimon had discovered something quite unexpected within their borders. Something that may bring the Digital World's defenses collapsing to their knees.

888

"Wow!" called Haru loudly as he looked down, "It's huge!"

"Yes, that is the main settlement of the insect digimon, it's called Giga House," announced Dinobeemon over the wind. They circled the house in the morning light.

"What do you mean settlement?" called Ren loudly as she looked down.

"It's a city of sorts, many different kinds of insect digimon live there, this is the head of power for the Arthropodan Republic," announced Dinobeemon as he started to buzz toward one of the opened windows.

"What's that?" Kisho asked as Dinobeemon touched down on a tiled, kitchen counter.

"The Arthropodan Republic?" Dinobeemon asked as the children and their digimon got down. The humans nodded. Dinobeemon glowed softly and reverted to Stingmon. "It's the last visage of resistance against the four war lords of the west."

"Warlords of the West?" Haru looked up. "Are these the same digimon that sealed Volcdramon away in that mountain?"

"Yes," nodded Stingmon quietly, "They've been slowly gathering territory from the west. Most of the territories were small, almost like city states and heavily divided amongst themselves. The first to fall were the Gekomon…and then the Toy Agumon. The warlords' shadows have spread as far south as Marinaville, near the great desert, and as far north as the tundra line. There are only small pockets of resistance left, one of them is the Order's mountain fortress…another is here."

"Well, that was informative…" Taku said as he looked at the insect. "Not that I have any idea what any of it means…"

"It means these warlords hold most of the continent, if not all of it," Haru replied quietly. "What about Directory?"

"What?" The other children looked at the blonde boy.

"It's another continent, attached to this one like Asia and Europe…" Haru explained.

"We aren't sure, the warlords originated on Server, it may be that they control portions of Directory…it's difficult to say," replied Stingmon. He sighed quietly as he looked around. "I must leave you now, you will find what you need down there," Stingmon pointed down at the floor. A group of buildings was built under the table. "You shall ask for a digimon named Tentomon, when you find him he will lead you to a travel bureau and get your tickets for the express."

"Ok, thanks Stingmon, for everything you've done," said Kisho as he bowed to the wasp digimon.

"Thank you!" Ren called out Stingmon flew off further into the house.

"How are we supposed to get down there?" Jiro looked down from the counter edge.

"Easy…" Ren smiled and took Taku and Kisho's hands. "You guys can have DemiDevimon and DORUmon digivolve…"

"Wait, what if we're attacked, or something?" Haru said indignantly.

"We won't get attacked," snorted Ren with a waving motion.

"Yeah, just like we wouldn't get double crossed by Dracmon," Taku said as he crossed his arms.

"You seem to forget that Renamon can digivolve!" Ren glared at Taku. "She's not a weakling you know…"

"Thank you, Ren," Renamon said quietly as she looked at the girl. "I am glad you have faith in me."

"Of course I have faith in you," Ren smiled brightly and then looked at the boys, "So is it a plan?"

"It wouldn't hurt, this is supposed to be a safe territory," Kisho said as he looked at Taku. "I mean…Renamon isn't a weakling…"

"It still would leave us vulnerable…" Haru said in dissent. He sighed quietly and then looked at Kisho, "but right now I don't see much of a choice…"

"Ok, Haru, Jiro, Gigimon and Agumon ride with me," Kisho instructed. "Ren and Renamon can ride with Taku."

"Woah, hold it there goggle boy," Taku retorted as he looked at Kisho. "Why do I have to ride with Princess Snoot?"

"Hey! I'm not a snoot!" Ren snorted loudly as she crossed her arms.

"Because DORUgamon is better suited to carrying more passengers than ExVeemon," returned Kisho, ignoring Ren, as he held out his digivice.

"Then you take her!" yelped Taku. "I'll even take Haru over Ren!"

"HEY!" Ren cried. She clenched his fists. "I am so not as bad as Haru!"

"OI!" Haru yelped as he glared at Ren.

"Well, I'm not," Ren said indignantly.

"See what I mean!" Taku growled as he pointed at the girl. He clasped his hands and started to beg. "Just take her! I'll take Jiro! Please!"

"No, Haru and Jiro need time together, so they're going to travel together," Kisho said as a light glowed from his digivice's screen. DORUmon shimmered with yellow energy and grew into DORUgamon. "It's not like you're going to be attached at the hip, Taku. Just deal with it…"

Taku growled an ok as he lifted his digivice. "You and Renamon get the right side; I'll be on the left."

"Your left or ExVeemon's left…?" Ren looked up at Taku.

"What?" Taku head lifted as DemiDevimon digivolved into ExVeemon.

"Your left or ExVeemon's left?" repeated Ren as she looked into Taku's eyes.

"Ok, how about this, let me pick a side and then you go on the other side," Taku shook his head and walked over to ExVeemon, "this is not cool…"

"You're the one being the fussbudget about it!" returned Ren as she walked up to the gray skinned dragon.

ExVeemon held Taku in his left arm and held Ren on his right. Renamon sat on his right shoulder. The dragon's large white wings unfurled and he leapt off the counter and started to glide towards the floor or Giga House's kitchen.

"You know; I'm not a bad person," Ren said as they glided downward.

"Yeah," Taku said without really listening. The girl's hair was waving in all direction as the air's movement pushed it around.

"I'M NOT!" Ren exclaimed as she glared at Taku.

"Look, you really aren't selling yourself real well," Taku replied as he looked at the girl. "You're prissy and snotty and a relatively annoying, little whiner. Not only that but you have the temper of a mother bear…so you can say your not a bad person till you're blue in the face, but it won't change my mind anytime soon."

"I'm not like that at all!" Ren retorted angrily.

"Uh huh," Taku said as he crossed his arms, "Oh, and your selfish."

Ren clenched her fists, "I'm selfish?"

"Uh…yeah…" said Taku as if it was common knowledge. "It's like you don't seem to have any care about anyone…like you don't understand others around you need things."

"I care about everyone…" Ren growled as she tensed up.

"Yeah, you care so much…" said Taku with an air of sarcasm.

"What is wrong with you, that you think you need to get under everyone's skin?" Ren shouted as she looked in the black haired boy's eyes. "What's wrong with you…you've been nothing but a jerk since we've been here."

"Strange…I was just thinking the same thing about you," Taku replied as he looked at Ren. "Look, face it, you're a brat."

"I AM NOT!" ExVeemon touched down on the ground. Ren jumped down and stomped away from the dragon as Renamon and Taku got down.

"Ren, wait, you shouldn't wander off!" Renamon went after the girl as ExVeemon glowed and returned to DemiDevimon.

"Do you think that was wise, Taku?" the bat landed softly on the boy's head.

"Keh, I don't really care if it was or not, but she needed to be told," said the boy as he drove his hands into his pockets.

"What did you do?" Taku winced as he looked back to where DORUgamon had landed. Haru and Kisho were running to him. Both seemed relatively pissed off at him.

"She asked for it," Taku said as he turned to walk into town.

"What happened?" Kisho asked bluntly with an air of annoyance.

"She tried to tell me how she really wasn't that bad of a person," Taku said quietly as he walked away. He turned his head back and smiled at Kisho, "and I told she was the biggest brat I've ever met."

"Just great…" Kisho sighed as knees bent and his head dropped, "She was actually getting civil…now…who knows…"

"Are we going to go look for her?" Haru looked down at Kisho.

"I suppose we have to," Kisho said as he looked up at Haru, "I mean she is our friend…we can't just leave her."

"Oh can't we?" laughed Taku quietly as he looked back at the others.

"No, in fact, you and I will look for her," Kisho grinned slightly. DORUmon hopped to his side; after he had de-digivolved from his larger, Champion form.

"WHAT?" Taku spun around and marched back toward Kisho and Haru.

"Well, it's your fault she stormed off, so you're going to help look for her," Kisho replied with an evil smile. He turned to Haru, "You and Jiro look for this Tentomon…guy, and get things set to go on this 'express'. Hopefully we can find Ren by then."

"And where will we meet?" Haru asked quietly.

"Right here, outside of town," said Kisho as he looked at Taku. "Ok, let's go."

"No way, I'm not helping you find that brat!" Taku growled as he looked at Kisho. "We'd do better without her!"

"Strange…someone said that about you once…" Kisho said as he walked past. He stopped and looked Taku straight in the eyes, "and I believe I came looking for you anyways…so stop arguing and start walking!"

Taku narrowed his eyes and glared at Kisho. The brown haired boy's normally soft caramel eyes were now a hard, earthy brown and Kisho didn't flinch or give an inch to the glare. Taku's fists clenched for a second before his hands released in defeat and he fell into line behind Kisho. The brown haired boy nodded and turned, walking off into the city under the table, trying to go in the direction Ren had gone.

888

"We should not wander from the others," Renamon said quietly as Ren walked through the city.

"Why should I worry about them, they obviously don't like me," Ren snarled quietly as she marched along.

"Some of that has to deal with the image you project to them," Renamon replied. The fox's blue eyes pierced through Ren's eyes and the vixen seemed to be looking at the girl's very soul.

"What are you talking about?" Ren huffed as she walked. "They just are being jerks."

"I do not believe that," Renamon replied quietly. Ren stopped and turned and looked up at the fox.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren growled. The venom in her voice was palpable.

"Taku made many points when you spoke to him," Renamon replied calmly. "You have recently become more and more…obtrusive to our mission. You have become more self-centered and much more aggressive in that self-centeredness. You have even become quite mean to your friends, especially to Kisho. Your overall uncompassionate actions are becoming more and more unbearable. Even I have been feeling more annoyed by your arrogance and uncaring words and acts, though I did not say anything because I did not wish to anger you even more. What happened to that child that came to this world, afraid but willing to at least try to be nice?"

Ren looked up at Renamon in shock. Her eyes quivered as tears formed in them. Her arms shook and she slowly started to shake her head. She took a couple of steps back. She closed her eyes and shook her head sharply. Her eyes opened hardened and angry.

"You agree with the boys!" Ren scowled angrily, "You think I'm a brat too! How can you turn your back on me like this!" Ren tightened her fists. "I hate you!" the girl shouted and she ran off down an alley.

"Ren…" Renamon watched the girl run away.

The vixen didn't make a move, didn't twitch a muscle. She only stood their frozen in her position. Renamon closed her eyes and sighed. The fox lowered her head and disappeared into the thin air but not before a single tear dripped on the ground.

888

"Don't you see?" shouted a loud voice in the middle of the floor of a large forum. His body was covered in golden armor and his red flesh was like twisting cords that swept between his armored hands to his shoulders. His head had a humanoid face, but it was adorned with a stag beetle helmet that had two large pinchers on its head. "The Founders have given us this new technology for a reason! We are to rise above the other races of digimon! Providence has shown that we are indeed superior! We are the only territory of digimon not be absorbed in this new empire of darkness!"

"You are wrong," growled a second, equally imposing voice. The forum members and the earlier speaker turned to a large, blue, scarab beetle. A single horn curved up from its head and ended in a saddle shaped projection. "We are to protect the others; we must strike out against these western warlords. That's the reason for the new technology…"

"No, we shall not be forced to serve those inferior to us!" growled the golden armored, humanoid stag beetle, "This is our chance to purge this world of weaklings!" The stag beetle lifted his arm and revealed his laser cannon finger tips. He pointed his fingers at the blue beetle, "Let us start with you, MegaKabuterimon…"

"Don't be stupid, Metallife Kuwagamon," growled the beetle as its horn sparked, "Senators have not fought within the forum for many years, let us not restart that tradition!"

"I don't plan to fight, fool, I plan to finish this in one blow!" growled the humanoid stag beetle. "Homing Laser!"

Five arcs of light sliced through the air from Metallife Kuwagamon's fingers. The large blue beetle growled and fired a blast of lightning at the lasers, but was only able to disrupt two. The other three lasers cut home as they burned through the beetle. The blue insect fell back as.

"You…shall never…" MegaKabuterimon dispersed into data before finishing his sentence.

The other senators gasped as they looked up at Metallife Kuwagamon. The golden armored digimon looked at the other insects that sat in seats around the forum. "Well, if you see my act as unspeakable, destroy me…if not then I petition make myself emperor…"

"Emperor?" growled a group of small metallic digimon. "We never have had an emperor!"

"We need an emperor in these times of darkness, a single voice to drive us through the fog!" called Metallife Kuwagamon as he walked in a circle looking up at the seats in the forum. "I am not afraid to strike against our enemies; I'm not willing to waste our resources on helping the weak; and I will not bow to those of the Order, like our former, Senatorial leaders have!" The metallic bug man glared at the burn spot where MegaKabuterimon had been.

"Are you insane, no one will follow you by choice, not after you murdered MegaKabuterimon!" shouted a group of yellow butterflies.

Metallife Kuwagamon smirked quietly and then lifted his finger and fired a single burst of energy into the air. "Then we won't give them a choice…"

There was a loud humming in the air. Metallic digimon buzzed into the forum. They were bug digimon, but they were very strange. They looked more like swords than bugs. Their metallic bodies were compact, much like the bodies of Whirligig Beetles, and their mandibles were long and adjacent to a long sword like blade that seemed to project from their mouths.

The senators gasped loudly as the forum was flooded with the metallic digimon. They collectively glared at Metallife Kuwagamon. The golden armored insect smirked quietly and looked around.

"Serve me, or you shall be cut down," announced Metallife Kuwagamon, "When you go home, you shall tell your constituents that they shall all bow to me as emperor!"

"They won't abide you!" shouted a voice.

"If any of your constituents resist, they shall be excised quite surgically from the map," replied Metallife Kuwagamon as he looked back and forth, searching for the voice. Metallife Kuwagamon smirked, "Now, the first order of this new administration is the total and complete subjugation of non-insectoid digimon in this territory! Those non-insect digimon here will be captured and jailed and then put to work as slaves."

"This is monstrous," growled a voice. Metallife Kuwagamon's head turned to find it was a Stingmon. The wasp warrior walked forward, "The Order knew this was going to happen…they feared a coup would happen when they saw you ascend into the senior senatorial ranks. You were always far too ambitious for your own good…"

"Awe, a sympathizer to the weaklings," Metallife Kuwagamon lifted his hand up and pointed. "I am only giving us the direction we need to become a great power in this world!"

"Conquest does not fit the mood of the Arthropodian Republic!" growled the wasp warrior.

"As of now we're no longer a republic," Metallife Kuwagamon shot back.

"I know; I saw your act of treachery." Stingmon replied as he walked out onto the senate floor. "I've also seen the portal you found, I'm not sure how you got the Searchmon to get it to work, but you have to shut it down now!"

"No! It's our greatest work; we will not just turn it off because it disjoints the noses of those humanoids up in the mountains!" Metallife Kuwagamon growled loudly as he stepped forward. "We shall eventually not just be lords of this plane but of the other plane as well!"

"You're a fool," Stingmon extended his arm and his shoulder armor lifted and fell. A lavender energy blade extended from his armored gauntlet. "To attempt to rule the Human World will only meet in your demise…"

"Is that a challenge?" Metallife Kuwagamon asked quietly as he pulled his fingers together; they merged into a glowing blade.

"I will protect my home from tyrants," growled Stingmon loudly. The wasp launched forward. "Spiking Strike!"

"Emit Blade!" Metallife Kuwagamon pushed his blade hand forward. There was a bright flash and the senate gasped in awe. A spear of light pierced Stingmon's stomach. Metallife Kuwagamon chuckled loudly as he slowly reeled in the blade dragging Stingmon in closer. "You never stood a chance. You should've just run to your little humanoid friends off in that mountain hideout. The insects shall rule this world, and nothing will stop them."

"You're wrong," hissed Stingmon quietly, "The digi-destined are here, and they'll stop you and your empire."

Metallife Kuwagamon growled loudly and ripped his energy blade through Stingmon's body sending the warrior wasp to oblivion. Metallife Kuwagamon growled loudly and started to walk out of a very shocked senatorial forum.

He stopped and turned. "The Senate is dismissed. Blade Kuwagamon, search for these, digi-destined, I want them captured and put into detention."

888

"Stupid Renamon, stupid boys, stupid digimon…" Ren grumbled as she kicked a can down a linoleum street.

She looked up and sighed. The city was totally foreign now. Any hope of finding her way out now was near impossible. All that surrounded her were industrial-looking buildings. Groups of bug digimon walked along talking in technical jargon and flailing their multiple limbs about in excitement. She didn't understand what they were talking about and most of them didn't pay any attention to her as they passed, they were far too busy speaking to their comrades.

She continued to walk. She sighed again and started to think about how things were at home. A shadow grew around her and she stopped and turned. Her first reaction was to fall backward as the red digimon glided closer to her. The second was to scream.

"_Don't scream!" _said a voice in her head. Ren gulped down the shriek that was building in her throat. The moth digimon landed; the brown haired girl scowled as it walked closer. She remembered him, flaming armor, and large, moth-like wings.

"Shadramon…" Ren growled softly. "How did you survive? Monzaemon destroyed you…"

The moth digimon stopped and looked at the girl in shock, "Monzaemon? You must have me confused with another Shadramon."

"Another Shadramon?" Ren looked up and then it hit her. She'd seen more than one type of digimon in her life and she nearly smacked herself for her stupidity. "I'm sorry…"

"I heard your thoughts…" said Shadramon. "I instantly realized you were not a digimon. I work in the labs…"

"Oh…" Ren slowly stood up.

"We must have accidentally fully opened the portal…" Shadramon said quietly. "Could you be a human…?"

"I am! I'm with the digi-destined!" Ren chirped loudly and smiled.

"I see," Shadramon said quietly, "You are very sad here aren't you?"

"Yes, it's very lonely here for me," Ren admitted as she looked down, "No one likes me here, they think I'm a brat…"

"Hmm…" Shadramon put his hand to the bottom of his chin. "We have needed a test subject…" Shadramon looked at Ren. "We have secretly procured a digital port to the Human World, but we've only done cursory studies on it. We've needed a test subject, unfortunately most bug digimon aren't very interested in transportation experiments…"

"Are you saying you can take me home?" Ren asked as a smile started to sweep across her face.

"Yes, but only if you wish to," Shadramon said quietly.

"Yes, yes, a million times yes!" Ren said with jump and smile.

"Then let us go, I have security passes to the lab, it shouldn't be difficult to get you in if you stay with me," Shadramon took the girl's hand. "This way."

The moth digimon ran through the crowds to the gates of a particularly large building. A giant cockroach walked up to them.

"Excuse me, do you have a pass?" asked the roach as he looked at Ren.

"Yes, yes," Shadramon lifted his gauntlet that held an ID badge, "I'm secondary technician on Project Digiport, I have important work to do!"

"What about her?" The roach eyed Ren and then looked back at Shadramon.

"She's my test subject, I have yet to fill out paper work for her, but I'll do that later, this is important!" growled Shadramon loudly. The roach narrowed his eyes and glared at the moth and crossed his arms. Shadramon huffed angrily and then glared at the roach. "If you don't let me through I'll talk to Ookuwamon about you harassing scientists!"

"Yes, Shadramon," The roach instantly straightened up and saluted putting on a big grin, "No need to get management involved in this, Shadramon, sir!"

"That's what I thought," growled Shadramon as he walked through the opening gates with Ren.

888

The lab building was exceedingly sterile. It smelled of ethanol and bleach. Insect digimon in long white lab coats walked past murmuring as Shadramon rushed past with Ren being pulled behind him.

The moth digimon swept around a corner and pulled the girl after him. He stopped in front of a large, metallic door. He pressed digits into a keypad on the wall and then slid his ID badge down a scanner on the pad's side. A red light on the pad flickered and then turned green. Shadramon yanked the door open and quietly pushed Ren into the room.

The fluorescent lights flickered to life by themselves as Shadramon rushed over to a clothes rack and pulled down a lab coat, sliding it onto his shoulders. The room itself was much smaller than Ren had expected it to be. Most of the room was devoted to large cables and wires laid out across the floor. Computers edged the side of the room and Shadramon was quickly working on one. The monitor flashed with alien symbols and uncommon kanji as the moth dragon clicked the keys and pressed the mouse button.

All the cords seemed to plug into one Television. Ren walked up to the screen of the television. She turned and looked back at Shadramon, "Where's this portal?"

"You're standing right in front of it," replied Shadramon without looking, "We're not sure how the technology for the portal works, but we did discover the command codes for it. We found it buried several meters in the earth. We figured the Founders had use them to siphon template information from the Template World, but we haven't been able to prove it…"

"Template World?" Ren blinked quietly.

"The Human World," Shadramon waved and uninterested apologetic hand up, "The Human World acts like a template for ours, this world is the manifestation of Human ideas and emotions brought to life by the energies of yet other worlds…"

"Oh," Ren replied without actually understanding what he meant. She turned around and looked at the television screen. "So…this is the way home…"

"That's the hypoth…" Shadramon stopped typing and looked up. There was a loud rumble from outside. "What the heck?"

Suddenly, the lab door swept open. A small, yellow and blue, worm digimon rushed into the lab and slammed the door behind him. The caterpillar was gasping for air.

"Blade Kuwagamon are attacking the lab!" gulped the worm as he looked up at Shadramon. "The security officers are trying to hold them off, but there are too many of the Kuwagamon…"

"Then I must work faster," Shadramon said as he spun around in his chair. He typed feverish as his eyes scanned the data lines buzzing down the computer monitor. Suddenly his voice sprung up above the sound of the keys' clickety-clacking, "What happened why are they attacking, Kunemon?"

"According to what I've heard…Metallife Kuwagamon has staged a coup…" the worm whimpered.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," grumbled Shadramon as he clicked the mouse. He turned around and got up. The sounds of fighting continued to rumble closer. Shadramon flipped three switches he turned. "Get ready this could get bumpy."

"What could be bum…?" Ren looked up at Shadramon.

"Digi-port open!" Shadramon slammed his flame gauntleted hand against a giant red button as the door of the lab exploded open.

Ren gasped as a flash of light enveloped her. She felt a giant vacuum suck her into the television as she saw a large, sword tongued water beetles flood into the lab. Streaks of energy curled around her as a tunnel. Seconds later she felt the grasp of gravity grab her shoulders and throw her to the ground. Ren grunted as she rubbed her shoulders. She stood up and looked around. A construction crew looked down at her in shock.

"Hi…you wouldn't happen to know…where I am?" Ren giggled quietly as she looked up at a man in a yellow helmet.

"Heighton View Terrace…how'd you get in the construction zone, girl?" growled the man loudly.

"Hehehehe, lucky I guess…" Ren smiled embarrassedly as she slowly got up.

"Well get out of here, before you get really hurt!" grouched the man loudly.

Ren stood straight and bowed to the man, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble I just got lost going home…Thanks!" Ren smiled and then navigated her way out of the construction area. She ran down a street. People were having conversations about work, and school, and loved ones. Ren giggled madly as she skipped around, "I can't believe it…I'm home!" She giggled again and then as if the truth had kicked her in the head she looked up at the sky and cheered. I'M HOME!"

**888**

**AN: Bam! This chapter just came out like a shot! I think this chapter was kind of good in its own sense or at least I thought it was (ie I liked it, at least it came out better than I had outlined) …but it may just be my ego. I felt it had a nice charm to it…if anything. This chapter was actually going to be two, but…I decided that it would be less rushed at two…Anyways, this was a fast chapter. It seemed fast paced too, huh…I don't know why but after reading it through once or twice I thought, jeesh this chapter doesn't feel long. Must just be me. Oh one last thing, originally this chapter title was going to be Uprising, but I changed my mind due to all the 'home' ideas going on, Kyuubimon being dragged back to his 'home', Ren going home, the whole idea of protecting or bettering one's home country…etc…**

**Alforce: Am I the first? Woot it's a record! Yes, that Kyuubimon is a very cruel and maniacal leader. The whole truth revealed part of that chapter…I think kind of comes off as a little weak, but it's not horrible. Nope, Raptordramon is Grademon, he was originally going to be HishaRyuumon but I changed my mind a bit ago (Two chapters ago). Anyways Guilmon and DORUmon have a plan behind their evolutions…Actually so do the other evolutions now…I feel so crafty about it too…but it's not all that adventurous an idea.**

**Blue: Well, you've met one master…sort of. Either Next chapter or two you'll see him again. I actually stressed about using the word 'master' because of this and that, but I think it will facilitate things well enough. Yes GRADEMON! I like Grademon, I have a preference to agile lithe digimon compared to the bulkier digimon, especially in Ultimates and Mega digimon, I don't know why, maybe because I have an easier time seeing fast past battles than overgrown sumo matches…(ie heavy weight wrestling matches where they just push each other around…Think Marine Devimon and Shakkoumon, that battle always seemed a disappointment) **


	25. Insurrection

**I don't own digimon, or the little rant Ren goes about the taking over the world…(that was a Doctor Who inspiration…glares don't say it!) **

**Insurrection**

**888**

"Tell us what we want to know, now, Shadramon!" roared a very angry, humanoid/insect digimon as he picked up the flame decaled moth dragon by the throat.

"No, Metallife Kuwagamon," growled Shadramon under his breath. "It is prophesied that those that attempt to control the Template World will meet in utter destruction…the powers that control these worlds will not allow it!"

"Foolish, self limiting superstition," growled the golden armored stag beetle as he dropped Shadramon on the floor. Shadramon grimaced, as he skidded across the marble tile of the 'imperial court'. "Now, how does the portal work?"

"You're actions will destroy our nation," Shadramon growled as he rose to his feet. The moth dragon growled softly looked in the burning eyes of Metallife Kuwagamon. "Just because you call it the imperial court, doesn't change the fact that this used to be the esteemed forum of the Senate, where the weak and the strong had a voice equal to one another! And after you're gone, this place and its ideals will still be here…"

"What a heart warming speech," Metallife Kuwagamon replied as he rose to his feet from the makeshift throne he'd had moved to the forum. The golden armored insect walked slowly to Shadramon, "but you haven't answered my request!"

"I don't plan to," Shadramon returned angrily.

"It matters not how we get the information," Metallife Kuwagamon said quietly as he slowly walked past the moth. "We'll get it another way; I had just hoped you wouldn't make us tear up your lab…"

"Even if you do a once over on my lab; all the access codes are memorized in the technicians' minds only, the algorithm is coursed through seven quantum encoding nodes; and if you mess up…" Shadramon smirked proudly, "The data gets the sharp end of an all delete defense system…"

"Do you really think your threats scare me?" Metallife Kuwagamon chuckled quietly as he turned, "Second Technician…"

"Butterflymon won't submit to your scare tactics," Shadramon replied confidently.

"Are you so sure?" asked Metallife Kuwagamon, "You'd be surprised what a few weeks of pure, unadulterated torture can do to a strong will…" Metallife Kuwagamon turned his head and smiled. "Let's just say those Blade Kuwagamon really know how to get under one's skin."

"Never…if she spoke, you wouldn't be talking to me!" Shadramon snorted confidently as he looked at the golden armored, stag beetle.

"Well, I do need your secondary bypass code…it seems Professor Butterflymon was a little more uncooperative than we wished," Metallife Kuwagamon walked slowly up to Shadramon, "It seems she gave you a secondary bypass code, that she kept on a CD…well, it seems she destroyed the CD. You're the only repository for the secondary bypass code. That's all we need…just one strip of data…with it we can continue your work, Shadramon, without it all those months of work…gone."

Metallife Kuwagamon flicked his hand up. The doors of the forum chambers swung open. A tattered figure was pushed into the imperial chambers by squat, blue beetles. Yellow dented armor covering burned fur. Large tracks of armor were removed revealing the beaten, bloody and burned body underneath.

"You monster…" Shadramon growled as he looked at the beaten body of the digimon. "You think this will make me want to tell you the code?"

"Well, you see," Metallife Kuwagamon walked slowly up to tattered form of the digimon, "We're not quite done with Butterflymon…"

Metallife Kuwagamon's fingers merged into an energy blade. Shadramon started to growl but that quickly turned to a gasp as Metallife Kuwagamon hand suddenly swept downward and Butterflymon's top, right wing dropped to the ground. The yellow armored digimon whimpered quietly and dropped to her knees.

"Don't…tell him…Shadramon," whispered the armored digimon as her ears drooped. "Whatever happens; don't let him know…"

"I hope her pain is worth your secret, Shadramon," Metallife Kuwagamon chuckled as he lifted his bladed hand again. The blade sliced again; another wing wafted to the ground.

"Beast…" Shadramon growled as he lifted his gauntlets, "If you think I'm going to just let you hurt her!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…that's not what I want to hear," whispered Metallife Kuwagamon as his arm dropped down. Butterflymon whimpered loudly and fell to her hands and knees. The yellow armored digimon cried quietly as tears fell on the floor. Metallife Kuwagamon looked at Shadramon and smirked. "Painful to hear isn't it?"

"Flare Buster!" Shadramon roared as he punched his gauntlets forward. Blasts of fire fired through the air. Metallife Kuwagamon growled as the flames washed over his body. "You aren't going to intimidate me into telling you."

"Then you pay…or I should say, she pays," Metallife Kuwagamon sliced down again as the lower wing of Butterflymon tore from the armored digimon's body. "You do understand when I get tired of this game she'll be destroyed."

"You wouldn't dare," Shadramon growled.

"Well, if you tell me the codes, I'll think about freeing her from this torment," said Metallife Kuwagamon as he looked down at the beaten Butterflymon.

"Don't tell him…" hissed Butterflymon, "We can't let him…"

"Silence you!" Metallife Kuwagamon stabbed Butterflymon's shoulder.

"Don't hurt her!" growled Shadramon loudly.

"Tell me what I want to know!" Metallife Kuwagamon returned angrily.

"No don't do it!" Butterflymon shouted as she looked up.

Shadramon looked sadly at Butterflymon, "I have to. Secondary bypass code: 032 Zeta Omega 996…."

"No! You idiot!" shouted Butterflymon.

"Heh," Metallife Kuwagamon lifted his blade hand.

He looked down at the blue beetle that had brought Butterflymon in. The beetle nodded and walked out of the forum. The blade arced through Butterflymon.

Shadramon's eyes widened and then narrowed in fury. "How could you? You said you would let her free!"

"I said I'd consider it," said Metallife Kuwagamon as he walked toward Shadramon, "and I did and I believe that she is freer this way than if I'd just left her in your care."

"So now, are you going to finish me off, too?" Shadramon lifted his gauntlets, "after all I'm not use to you anymore."

"Actually, I'm going to let you live," Metallife Kuwagamon walked to his throne and sat down. "Who better to be the witness to my conquest, than the very digimon that believes that an attempt to take over the Human World will lead to the destruction of digimon?"

The digimon lifted his hand and waved Shadramon off. The dragon moth didn't move. Two digimon grabbed him from behind, both Blade Kuwagamon, and dragged him out of the imperial court.

888

"I can't believe it!" Ren giggled as she wandered the street. Cars hummed by, people walking around, "I thought I'd never see Tokyo again!" She stopped dead in her tracks. "Momma and Papa!"

Ren ran down the street and past a bakery and a small movie theater. She came to a stop at the street and looked in both directions before crossing the road. She was about to turn the corner when she heard voices.

"I hope I don't have to be in the same cabin as Sasaki-san," said a familiar, female voice.

"Yeah, she'll probably whine the entire two weeks we're there," grumbled another voice.

"And did you see her at lunch today…such a pig," giggled a third voice.

"_Emiko-chan, Megumi-chan, Ayuko-chan…" _Ren stopped and gulped quietly as she pressed herself into the entryway of shop. _"My best friends…"_

"Well, her parents are rich what do you expect?" said the first voice. Ren closed her eyes. "I mean come on, she gets those extravagant birthday parties, she has everything…I bet if she begged her daddy she could get him to buy her anything."

"I heard that her parents have even given special tutors for school," sighed the second voice. "I wish my parents had that kind of money…I could really use some help in math…"

"What are you talking about, Megumi?" yelped the first voice, "You are getting Bs in mathematics…"

"Exactly…" sighed the second voice. "Oh well, let the little brat have her tutors…"

"I don't even know why we're her friends," said the third voice, "She's just a little snob…"

"A little snob with a lot of money, Ayuko," stated the first voice. A titter of giggles followed the statement.

"But it's not like she's going to share, Emiko," grumbled the second voice, "I mean she's so greedy…"

"Yeah, she'd probably spend it all on snacks for herself, the little pig," said the third voice.

Ren sniffled quietly and clenched her fists. She bit her lip quietly as tears trailed down her cheeks. The voices wandered down the street and faded into the distance. The conversation branched away from Ren and to fashion and boys and any number of other things girls her age spoke about, but Ren leaned against the wall of the entryway frozen. Hot tears dripped from her jaw and chin as they flooded from her eyes.

"They were my friends…how could they say such mean things…?" Ren sniffled quietly as she rubbed her moist eyes. "How could they hate me? How can they pretend to be my friends?"

"Yo, girl, you coming in, or you staying out, because there isn't any loitering allowed around here!" shouted a voice from within the shop.

Ren nodded blankly and peeled herself from the wall and blindly walked out onto the sidewalk. She walked a weaving path towards her parents' apartment building. The doorman looked at Ren.

"Hi, little Sasake-san…" said the man in the red and blue uniform as she passed. Ren didn't even hear the man and walked on past. She sniffled as she passed into the apartment building. The man narrowed his eyes, "Snob, think you're too good to even say hello…stupid little brats of rich people…"

Ren walked numbly towards an elevator and pressed the button. The doors rolled open with a sharp ding. Ren drooped against the inside wall of the little cabin. The elevator bumped into motion and glided silently upwards. Lights with numbers flickered on and off as she passed the floors. The elevator glided to a stop and the doors slid open with a soft ding. Ren slowly walked out of the elevator and wandered down the hall. Potted plants lined the walls and a soft warm light filled the corridor.

Ren came to a stop at the fourth door in. She reached up and turned the knob of the door. It stuck. Ren reached for a pocket to her keys. She frowned and her lip quivered. Her keys had been in her dress that she'd been in when she had been taken to the Digital World, the dress that had long been torn, burned, and stained into oblivion. The keys were lost, probably sitting in some mud puddle on File Island. Ren put her back against the door and slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor. She ran her hands through her long brown haired and started to cry all over again.

"Even in this world…people hate me…even the door hates me…" Ren sobbed quietly into her hands. "Stupid everyone…"

The door clicked behind her and opened. Ren fell backward in surprise. A pair of hands caught her. Ren looked up and saw two faded brown eyes staring back at her.

"Grandma…" Ren sniffled quietly as she looked at the gray haired, slightly over weight woman. The woman's wrinkled face frowned slightly as tears streaked down Ren's face.

"Child, you're late," replied the woman.

"Where are Momma and Papa?" Ren sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Your mother went to the market; your father had to go back to work," replied the woman as she helped Ren to her feet. "Come on; let's get you in here, before you make a spectacle in front of the whole floor."

"I want to see Momma and Papa," Ren said quietly as she let her grandmother lead her into the apartment.

It was quite lavish, even by western standards it was large; with a large living room and a full kitchen and a separate dining room. There were three bedrooms down a long hall and a large bathroom with a full bath. There was even room for a clothes washer and drier.

"They aren't here; they had things to do," replied the old woman as she bustled off toward the kitchen, "This life of excess you live in doesn't come easily, you know…"

"Grandma…I don't want to go to camp," said Ren quietly.

"This has been discussed before," replied the old woman as she leaned against a chair, "You're going, it's time you learned how to live without your things; heaven forbid you actually go a night without a takeout meal."

"But grandma the others won't like me," Ren returned; she didn't looked into the old woman's stern eyes. "I'll be lonely, and I'll miss Momma and Papa. I want to stay here!"

"Child, not everything works by your whim," said the woman gruffly. "The world doesn't turn because you want it to, nor will it stop because you demand it to. There are other things in this world other than you that's why you're going to camp, you're going to find out that you can't push nature around; you're going to learn to toughen up."

"I already have! I don't want to do it again!" shouted Ren. She instantly gasped at the angry glare of the old woman, "Sorry, grandma, sorry, sorry!"

"You're lucky," snorted the old woman as she turned away, "if you were my child you'd not have gotten away with that." The woman shook her head. "Such disrespect. You don't understand anything; you'll get quite the shock when the real world smacks you in the face. You can't just cry your problems to your mommy and daddy and think they'll go away. You have to learn to fix things yourself."

Ren looked down in shame and then her eyes rose slowly. The old woman grumbled softly and walked off towards the kitchen. A large grandfather clock rang. It peeled four times before stopping. Ren's eyes widened.

"Grandma, weren't you worried about me?" asked Ren as she ran into the kitchen.

"Of course child, when you're half an hour late from school, without calling, I was worried someone had taken you away," returned the old woman with a growl. "Where were you, anyways?"

"_This can't be right, we've been gone for almost a month…" _Ren's eyebrows furrowed and then her eyes widened again, _"my…friends…shouldn't still be talking about going to camp if it's been a month. Was it all just some sort of concussion from messing around the worksite near Heighton View Terrace…but the others…Kisho?" _

Ren looked up and then ran out into the living room. She pressed the buttons of a phone and put the receiver to her ear. The phone rang several times; the soft purring tone was almost soothing. Suddenly the phone stopped purring.

"You have reached the Yamada residence; I'm afraid we're not home right now but if you leave your name, phone number and a short message after the beep; we will be more than happy to call back," said the female voice on the line.

Ren gently put the phone back on the hook and stared at the wall. "He's not home…"

"Who's not home?" groused Ren's grandmother as she walked into the living room carrying a small bowel of grapes.

"Nothing grandma…" said Ren softly to herself. "Does that mean it was real…?"

"What are you going on about, child?" the woman called. Ren didn't answer, her eyes focused on something on the wall. The old woman shook her head, "You never did say where you went this afternoon; you shouldn't be wandering around, alone, like that, especially with those insane terrorists about…"

Ren turned and started for the door to the apartment.

"Child, where are you going?" snapped the woman loudly as Ren swept past her.

"I don't know…I just have to check something out!" said Ren as she pulled the door open and ran out of the apartment.

888

"Press the button," announced the voice of a blue stag beetle. He and a group of other stag beetles identical to him were standing in front of a monitor.

"We shall report in about twenty minutes, we'll do surveys to see if the other world is habitable for us," said one of the other blue insects. A group of green caterpillar digimon nodded and turned.

"Let us hope these communication devices work, we haven't done field tests on them…" grumbled the third blue insect. A fourth blue insect nodded in reply.

Renamon narrowed her eyes. They were planning to go to Ren's home, to destroy it. The golden fox was hiding in her fox void, though she was sitting on top of the large, super computers that lined the walls of the lab. Renamon had been watching the lab since Ren and Shadramon had entered. She even had followed them into the digi-port lab and watched Ren leave. Part of her felt like she should've followed the human girl, but her memories of the child's outburst had frozen her muscles. Her arms tensed as she watched the light erupt from the television monitor. The blue beetles were sucked into the portal. The fox leapt down; she couldn't allow the KoKabuterimon destroy Ren's world.

Renamon phased into existence, much to the surprise of the green caterpillars. They tried to stop her, but their impotent silk nets were easily sliced through. She swept around and kicked the worms to the side and leapt through the portal after the beetle digimon. Renamon dropped out of the sky. Concrete filled her view as the world below here rose to her face. The fox nimbly touched the ground with her feet and leapt into the air. There were others like Ren standing around. Many were shouting in disgust and fear as the KoKabuterimon marched from the broken bridge that they had materialized on. Renamon dropped down to the ground under the bridge. It was covered in craggy rock and the sunlight was obstructed by the remains of the pedestrian overpass, creating shadows to hide in. Renamon slipped into the darkness and watched as the beetles walked down a sidewalk.

The humans looked in terror as the oversized beetles, with their spiked backs and clawed hands, blatantly walked amongst them. One human wearing gray, with a helmet and a shovel ran forward. The human swung his tool at the bugs, but one of them spun around. The single, long horn, which projected from the KoKabuterimon's head, glowed and cut through the metal shovel. The man fell backward.

"Hostile beasts aren't you?" hissed the beetle as he turned away from the human.

"It spoke!" shouted the man in surprise.

Sirens ripped through air. Renamon's ears folded down to protect them from the blaring racket. Flashing lights twirled atop white and black vehicles that slid around a corner further up the street. A van screeched behind the car. Renamon saw lettering on the side of the van. The kanji read 'animal control'. The fox pulled even further into the shadows.

"The fools don't know what they are up against," Renamon whispered to herself as the cars shrieked to a stop in front of the beetles. The fox watched as men in blue uniforms leapt out of the car. They were holding large black sticks.

"Ok men, don't do anything yet, let's see if we can just corral them in, keep them from going further," shouted one of the men. The others uniformed humans took up positions around the group of beetles. "No sudden movements we don't want to scare them."

More men jumped from the van. They were wearing bulky looking suits. Renamon recognized a symbol on their suits.

"Hazard…these humans control the hazard power?" Renamon narrowed her eyes.

The humans lifted canisters of some sort. The canisters had long tubes attached to them that ended in a fanned nozzle.

"We're going to try and put them to sleep," muffled one of the suited men as he lifted the hose of that attached to the strange canister. "After we determine what they heck they are, and where they came from we can put them back in the wild…"

"They think they are indigenous?" Renamon scoffed quietly in the shadows. Suddenly the suited men pushed the hoses forward and jets of white gas covered the five KoKabuterimon. Renamon gasped in shock as the gas settled. A fine frost covered the insects. "The humans have incapacitated them? So easily? Then it is true…they do have great power…"

Renamon watched as the blue uniformed humans slowly and hesitantly moved forward. They poked the blue beetles with their sticks. The beetles didn't move. The humans looked at each other and then smiled.

"Quickly, get these things in cages or something!" shouted one uniformed humans.

Renamon tilted her head and watched as the humans in the white suits walked closer. Her sharp eyes caught a twitch from the insects. The fox shifted uncomfortably and then closed her eyes as the KoKabuterimon broke free of the frost and slammed their horns into the humans. The group of hazard wearing humans was tossed down the block. The uniformed humans instantly spun around and lifted their sticks.

The black rods dropped down but were useless against the empowered horns of the KoKabuterimon. The uniformed men were thrown back against their vehicles. Renamon's muscles tensed as the insects angrily shuffled. They lifted their clawed hands.

"Shoot them!" shouted one of the men as he pulled a black machine from a sheath on the side of his hip.

There was the sound of a loud bang. Renamon instantly leapt backward at the loud sound. The smell of smoke and powder filled the air. The first bang was followed by several others as the uniformed men pulled their weapons from their sheaths.

The insects jerked in shock at first and then simply turned their backs to the uniformed men. The small projectiles that the humans' weapons fired plinked off of the blue armor of the beetles' wing guards. Finally the humans' weapons started to click. One of them shouted about being out of ammunition. The beetles turned and growled. Their horns glowed brightly.

"They will kill the humans…" Renamon growled as she crouched down.

"Hey! Get back!" shouted one of the men. Renamon's eyes flew from the beetles and fell upon the brown eyes of a little girl.

"Ren…" Renamon whispered as she looked at the brown haired girl.

Ren stood between the men and the beetles and stared at the bugs. The bugs were still excitable and were buzzing angrily at the humans. Renamon felt her heart constrict as those words shot through her mind's ear.

"_I hate you!"_

"These beings are hostile!" shouted the leading KoKabuterimon. "Destroy them!"

Ren screamed as the beetles charged forward. Renamon looked up. Her muscles throbbed and before even she could perceive she was across the street and in the air carrying Ren in her arms. She landed on a roof top and put Ren down.

"You saved me! You came for me!" Ren looked at Renamon in shock.

"Idiot," Renamon replied angrily. "I didn't just come for you…your entire world is in danger…the others have been captured, the insect digimon are planning an invasion; this is just a scout party…I came to stop them, with or without your help."

"But…Renamon…" Ren looked at the fox. "I…I…was angry…I…" The fox's cold, blue eyes bore into Ren's flesh through to her soul. Ren looked down. "Renamon…please…don't be mad…"

The fox didn't even react to the request, instead she dove off the roof and struck at the beetles sending them careening across the pavement. The uniformed humans joined in gaping at the bipedal fox, as she held her fighting stance. She watched as the group of beetles rose to their feet.

"It's Inari-sama! The Kami, Inari-sama, has sent a messenger to protect us!" shouted an old man that was hiding in the entryway of a building. "It has to be one of Inari-sama's guardians; it saved that little girl…"

Renamon looked at the old man questioningly. _"I'm not a messenger, and I have never met this Inari-sama._"

She didn't have time for that. The beetles were rushing her. Renamon smirked, the beetles may be strong but, like most insects, they lacked ingenuity. Renamon leapt into the air and twisted, landing behind them, yet facing their backs. The beetles slid to a stop and turned around. Their horns were glowing and they lunged after Renamon. The fox leapt over them and with a mythic ability hung in the air. She crossed her arms. The crowd that was growing gasped as thousands of glowing leaves fired down on the beetles.

The blue insects curled up under their shells. The leaves stuck in the shells. The KoKabuterimon turned and growled. They lifted their claws and a golden streak of electrical energy fell from their hands.

"Beetle Lariat!" the lightning whips spun into nooses and flew towards Renamon.

The fox gulped and shifted her weight to get away from the nooses as they raced at her. Renamon dropped down on the roof of one of the uniformed, men's vehicles. The insects growled and threw more lariats at the fox only to have her slip through the waves of electrical strings.

"This is getting tiresome…" growled Renamon as she rushed towards the beetles.

With blinding speed she ravaged the squadron of blue insects with punches, sending them rolling and crashing against the piles or rubble that was the remains of the overpass. The crowd was too shocked to respond, though Renamon could hear gasps and weak cheers being uttered from the crowd and from within the apartment buildings, as well as the mutterings of that man that thought she was from Inari.

Renamon stood in front of the beetles as they shook off the smorgasbord of knuckle sandwiches their faces had just consumed. The fox glared down at them.

"I suggest you get that gate open and go home," growled Renamon as she eyed the insects.

"You interloper…" growled one of the bugs. "Why do you protect these humans?"

Renamon narrowed her eyes, "because, they need someone to protect them. They are ignorant, arrogant and selfish, but they have good qualities to them as well."

"They fear us, they hate us, can't you see that!" returned the insects. "They don't deserve their place in this world; they are insignificant."

"You're correct," Renamon said quietly, "They don't deserve their place in this world, but then again we don't even belong in this world…so who is the one that is most justified being here?"

"Renamon…" Ren's voice breathed almost silently, but Renamon could hear it, her ears were pricked just to hear the child. "I'm sorry Renamon….I shouldn't have ever told you I hated you…it was a horrible lie…I don't hate you, you're the most wonderful person I know!"

"We will have this world!" shouted the beetles as they rushed Renamon. The fox yelped at the sudden act and was tossed against one of the vehicles.

"RENAMON!" Ren screamed from the rooftop. Ren dropped to her hands and knees.

The beetles growled as they surrounded the fox. "We'll crush you to dust, vixen wench!"

"Renamon, get up! Please get up!" Ren shrieked from the rooftop. The fox moaned softly as she tried to stand. "You have to get up, without you I can't help the others! I need you! Please Renamon, I'm begging you, get up…I don't want you to die!"

Ren's eyes watered and a drop of salty water fell from her cheek to her digivice. The previously inert machine flickered to life and a streak of light flew from it down to the street. The light exploded in every direction.

"Fox Leaf ARROWHEAD!" Millions of streets of light flew in directions sending the beetles backward, digging deep fissures in the ground. The blue bugs shook as their bodies were pummeled with relentless bursts of light. Renamon stood. Her body was glowing and her eyes were blue flames. "I don't have time for you…now, go BACK!"

The sky ripped open. A stream of light shot down from the vortex in the sky. The beetles were sucked into the light. Renamon turned and leapt to the rooftop of the shop she'd put Ren on.

"Renamon…" Ren whispered as she looked up at glowing fox. "I'm sorry…I don't ever want to leave your side again. Please, don't hate me…"

"Ren, I don't hate you," Renamon replied quietly, "I was very angry at you, but I accept your apology."

"Then that means…" Ren looked up at the fox.

"We haven't time to waste, Metallife Kuwagamon will definitely send more of his goons through the digi-port, we have to stop him, or else your world will be overrun," Renamon stated curtly.

"How'd you make the portal?" Ren looked up at the vortex in the sky.

"You gave me the strength, you tell me?" replied Renamon. The fox took hold of Ren in a tight hug. "Hold on…we're going in."

Renamon leapt from the roof top into the light.

888

"I'm hungry still," Jiro whimpered quietly as he looked at the others. Four weeks they had been in jail. Four weeks of bread and jerked meat, with a cup of water.

"Have my bread, Jiro," Haru handed his brother a piece of dry bread.

"This is stupid," Taku snorted as he crossed his arms, "if we hadn't gone searching for Princess Prissypants we'd never have been here to get caught."

"Not this again," sighed Haru as he slouched back against the wall of their cement cell.

There was only a tiny opening on the heavy metallic door that let in a fragment of light. There was one window, but it was only half a meter wide and half a meter wide. The majority of the cell was dark. Taku was in the darkness. Only his eyes weakly reflected the light.

"What? It's true!" Taku growled loudly.

"It really doesn't matter at this point does it?" Haru asserted. "It's not like it can change anything now!"

"I'm just saying that it's her fault!" Taku retorted.

"It doesn't matter, we got caught and stuck…" sighed Haru as he sat down. "As we speak the Dark Digimental could be in the wrong hands."

"Do you really think that the bugs will try to take over the world?" Jiro asked quietly as he chewed his stale bread.

"It sure sounds like it," Haru sighed quietly and crouched down next to his brother.

"I just would like to know what our so called fearless leader is thinking about in his silence," Taku sneered as he glared across the darkness to a curled up shadow. "Well, Kisho, what do you think of the situation?"

"Leave him alone!" Haru snarled.

"Why, he's the one that led us right into this, firstly by going after the princess and secondly by having us surrender without even trying to fight back!" Taku growled as glared at Kisho, "You got our digimon put into slavery! You idiot! You got the Digimental taken from us! You big loser!"

"Taku! Leave him be!" Haru shouted loudly as he stood up. "He knows what he did!"

"Haru…sit down," Kisho whispered quietly from the shadows. "Taku's right, it's my fault. I'm sorry I'm not a good leader…"

"Kisho," Jiro stood up and walked over to the boy. Jiro lifted his bread up to Kisho, "Would you like some? You haven't been eating much…"

"You need it more," whispered Kisho as he turned and huddled against the wall.

"Kisho, you can't give up, Ren's still out there," Jiro whispered as he reached over and touched the boy's hand. Jiro smiled, "I don't blame you, Kisho…If we fought we could've been killed, but now we have a chance…even if it's a small one."

"If we fought we could've won," Taku snapped as he glared at Jiro and Kisho. "I don't see why you go on, Jiro. You know it's hopeless, just give up and deal with the fact that we'll die in this hole…"

"Don't talk to my brother like that!" Haru growled. He clenched his fists.

"Oh, are you going to use those?" Taku sneered. The boy stood up in the shadows, only his eyes glistened in the light, "Well, big boy, come on, use 'em…"

"Haru, sit down…" Kisho whispered. The boy's head shifted slightly to look at the two would be combatants, "Taku, shut up. Jiro, you should get some sleep…it's getting late…"

"But I don't feel…" Jiro yawned loudly and stretched, "…sleepy…"

"Kisho's right, you need your sleep," Haru yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, "so do I."

"Why do you baby him?" Taku asked to Kisho when the two brothers had gone to sleep.

"Taku, just stop," Kisho said as he looked at the boy.

"She's not coming, you know it!" Taku said loudly.

"She may, don't count her out," Kisho replied.

"I would be less surprised if a magical imp came and saved us than I would be if she did," Taku replied.

"Just go to sleep, we have a long day…tomorrow," Kisho sighed as he leaned back.

"Long day of sitting in here like a group of idiots," Taku snarled under his breath.

"Stay up then," Kisho snapped loudly, "just leave me alone!"

Kisho curled up in the darkness. Taku grumbled quietly and then leaned against the corner of their cell and held hugged his knees close to himself. The outside was quiet. The night was thick and cool, especially since their detention area was near a cold air vent. They could sometimes hear the sounds of the task masters shouting at slaves or subjects and they often heard the sound of the low hum of the Blade Kuwagamon that guarded their little, cement hut. The lack of sensory excitement was exactly why the next sound Taku heard was so sharp. It was the sound of walking, and buzzing, and not Blade Kuwagamons' the electromagnetic hum, but true and dear buzzing like the wings of a fly or insect.

"Ok, do it," buzzed a small voice.

"You sure?" asked a second voice, one with a thicker accent.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't have told you to do it!" snorted the buzzy voice.

"Ok," said the voice. "Rock Cracking!"

The cement wall exploded open. Kisho and the others barely had time to scramble out of the way as the earth separated underneath them. The children looked out of the giant hole in the wall and saw two digimon. One was a large bipedal insect with golden armor. Drills jutted from his nose, and composed the fingers of his hands. The other was a very large ladybug with a spiked shell and large eyes.

"Hello," buzzed the ladybug as it glided forward, "We've come to do an old fashion jail break!"

"Who are you?" Kisho whispered.

"I'm Tentomon," said the ladybug. "And this is my friend Digmon. Say hello, Digmon."

"Hello Digmon," said the larger digimon.

"Gah, you'll have to excuse my friend, he's not always the brightest," apologized the lady bug. It turned and flew through the hole in the wall, "Well, don't just sit their come on!"

"What about the Blade Kuwagamon?" Haru asked as he and Jiro clambered out of the jail.

"Don't worry about them, they've been dealt with," chuckled Digmon as he stepped back and pointed to four Blade Kuwagamon lying on the ground unconscious.

"Yes, you can gloat later!" yelped Tentomon as he buzzed around insecurely, "Most certainly the others will be coming soon!"

"We need to get our digimon out of the slave camps," Kisho said as he looked at Tentomon.

"Don't worry, the one that found me, is dealing with it," said Tentomon as he flew forward, "Quickly, this way, we'll go to an underground of sorts for slaves," Tentomon flew over to the wall of the house and pulled back a piece of wall board to reveal a secret passage. "This way!"

"Ok, ok," Taku grumbled as he and the others walked toward the passage. "Jeesh, bossy much?"

"Only on days that end in Y," retorted Tentomon as he pushed Taku into the passage. "Just because I'm helping you, doesn't mean I want to get caught by Metallife Kuwagamon!"

"He's the guy with the army right?" asked Haru as he helped Jiro go through the hole in the wall.

"Yessiree," said Digmon as he looked back, "We best be skadooing soon; those flickers on the horizon look none too friendly."

Haru and Kisho were lifted up by the drilling insect and Digmon hopped through the hole. Tentomon slipped in after Digmon and closed the passage's door behind him.

"Who told you we were captured?" Kisho asked after Digmon put him down.

"Well, it was common knowledge," Tentomon replied, "but the person who persuaded me to do it was a human who was traveling with an Ebidramon."

"Ren," Kisho smiled broadly. "I knew she could do it!"

"Don't get your hopes up, if she gets captured," warned Haru as he looked around. He shuddered slightly; they were actually behind the wall board of the Giga House. It was dusty and filled with cobwebs.

"I know, but it's just…I knew she'd step up for us," Kisho just beamed brightly, "I knew she wouldn't give up on her friends."

"I'll believe it when I see it," growled Taku. "We have to get the digimental back, and our digimon."

"The girl said she'd get the digimental after she'd freed your digimon," nodded Digmon.

"Yeah…" Tentomon nodded. He shook a little.

"What's wrong?" Jiro looked up at the ladybug.

"Nothing, let's get going before the Blade Kuwagamon start poking around and find us," said Tentomon. The insect shuddered again and shook its head, _"I gotta get make sure these guys are ok, or…"_ Tentomon gulped quietly as he remembered the conversation.

_888_

"_You better get them out of that jail or I'll…" the brown haired girl waved her fist in Tentomon's face. "You understand me?"_

"_It's crystal clear at this end," yelped Tentomon as he buzzed backward. "But what if I get captured…"_

"_Don't!" the girl snapped loudly. _

"_Then I better get some help…" whimpered Tentomon as he disappeared into the night._

_888_

"Are you sure you're ok?" asked Jiro as he looked at the ladybug.

"Quite sure…" Tentomon said as he buzzed ahead of the others.

888

"This is where the others are being held," said Ebidramon as she scuttled to the edge of a group of planter boxes.

Down below was a small settlement of slaves. The houses were made out of oversized, milk cartons. The milk carton settlement was surrounded by torn SOS pads. The metallic mesh pads' sharp and prickly surfaces acted like barbed wire.

"Let's do this!" shouted Ren as she pointed down. There were a few Blade Kuwagamon guards humming around the perimeter of the settlement.

Ebidramon leapt down and lifted her claws. The first Blade Kuwagamon didn't even know what was coming until it was sent hurdling through the air against the glass window. The second and third put up light resistance but they were easily dispelled with slaps from Ebidramon's pincers. Ebidramon then clamped her claws on the oversized SOS pads and tore them apart, throwing them away.

"Hey you guys!" shouted Ren loudly, "Get up you guys are free!"

Digimon stuck their heads out of the milk carton huts and looked at Ebidramon and then at Ren. Most of them were Floramon and Woodmon, but four digimon looked especially familiar, a purple fox-raptor, a red and black dragon, a bat-winged ball and an orange, miniature tyrannosaur.

"Hey, we've come to free you!" shouted Ren loudly as she waved at the Rookie digimon. The five Rookies ran up to Ebidramon and smiled brightly at Ren. The girl smiled back down and helped them up on Ebidramon's back. Ren turned to the other digimon. "Come on we'll lead you to a safe place!"

"We were getting worried," said DORUmon quietly.

"We tried to fight but there were too many," sighed Agumon as he looked around.

"Even as Raptordramon I wasn't very useful against so many bugs!" Guilmon nodded sharply.

"And then they made us work in their 'gardens'!" growled DemiDevimon. "You're lucky foxy, you're little cuticles might've gotten dirty."

"We can put you back, DemiDevimon," growled Ebidramon as she moved away from the settlement. "We're going to take you to a hole in the wall. You should stay their, Tentomon and the boys should arrive their soon…"

"Where are you going then?" asked DORUmon as he rode on Ebidramon's back.

"We have to get the digimental back…" said Ren as she looked around for possible attackers, "Tentomon says that Metallife Kuwagamon is going to use it to become more powerful, so we have to get it fast."

"Do you know where it is?" Agumon asked.

"Um, well…" Ren blushed and looked down.

"Let's just say, we got one of the Blade Kuwagamon to cooperate with us," chuckled Ebidramon as she lifted a claw and pulled back electrical outlet shield, "Here's where we're leaving you off, stay here and be quiet. Tentomon and the others should be here soon!"

"Be careful, Ebidramon, don't do anything stupid," DORUmon said as the lobster dragon lowered the wall board.

"Don't worry, we won't do anything stupid," said Ren with a smile.

"Let's get that digimental free from Metallife Kuwagamon," said Ebidramon as she turned away.

"I with you all the way," Ren nodded determinedly.

888

"I do not know if this is the proper way to go about this," whimpered one of the KoKabuterimon as he looked at the crystal ball. The depths of its darkness were unfathomable.

"I never asked you if it was proper, I just want it done!" growled the statuesque form of Metallife Kuwagamon. The humanoid stag beetle walked forward and picked up the small, blue beetle by its throat, "I want that digimental to give me more power!"

"But no one knows how this digimental works!" yelped KoKabuterimon loudly, "The only one with any reported experience with it was Baronmon and he was destroyed by the digi-destined…and I really don't want to find Arkadimon…"

Metallife Kuwagamon growled loudly and tossed the blue beetle aside. "Useless, all useless! First you were defeated by a single, rookie, fox and then you lost the computer facility! And now you're telling me that you can't fulfill a simple request!"

"You don't understand, no one's used the Dark Digimental and survived, for all we know that thing will delete anyone that tries to use it!" retorted KoKabuterimon loudly, "If we try to siphon power to you from it; it could kill you!"

"It is better to be dead than impotent," Metallife Kuwagamon replied as he turned slowly. "The weak will forever be slaves to the strong, and I refuse to be a slave!"

"Maybe there is another way to give you power…" KoKabuterimon attempted to sound hopeful.

"No, it won't be long before the Western Powers try to annex us," Metallife Kuwagamon growled softly, "I have to find a way to empower our defenses to stop an invasion…"

"Maybe we should reinstate the Senate and get a genera…" KoKabuterimon didn't finish his sentence before his throat was compressed between the digits of Metallife Kuwagamon's hands.

"The forum only makes us weaker, fragmented, no we must have a single voice pushing us forward, and that voice is mine!" Metallife Kuwagamon dropped KoKabuterimon angrily and turned back to the digimental. "I'm the only one strong enough to ensure our survival…"

"I don't know, from the way things sounded the Arthropodan Republic was pretty strong before you overthrew it," said a voice from the entrance of the imperial court.

Metallife Kuwagamon spun around and growled, "So it's you, the one that's been throwing a wrench into my work!"

"Someone had to," replied the lobster as it walked forward. On top of the crustacean was a little girl. "You were going to single handedly going to destroy this place…"

"Hand over the digimental, Metallife Kuwagamon!" the girl on the crustacean's back shouted, "It's evil; it has to go to the Order so they can neutralize it!"

"The Order?" Metallife Kuwagamon growled loudly, "Who's to say they won't use it? I refuse to give them an artifact of such power!"

"It doesn't matter who has it," shouted the human, "If you have it Arkadimon will come to get it. We've faced Arkadimon; you don't want to fight him!"

"I'll destroy that little digital homunculus!" growled the golden armored beetle as he moved between the crustacean and the digimental. "I don't fear weak enemies like you do…"

"He's lost it…" growled Ebidramon quietly.

"With this artifact," Metallife Kuwagamon growled softly as he turned and looked longingly at the digimental. "The insects will find their true strength," Metallife Kuwagamon looked up and sneered at the girl. He stood up straight and he declared, "We shall become all…"

"Powerful?" the human child shouted in kind. "Crush the weaker digimon? Conquer the Digital World? Unimaginable Power? Unlimited Rice Balls? Etc, Etc…." Ren glared at the human-like stag beetle, "Yeah, I heard this before. I used to think the same thing! I thought if had all the stuff in the world, if I was rich enough, if my parents had enough clout; I'd be popular and have thousands of friends and I could get whatever I want…but let's face facts, no one likes a tyrant, and those that act like they do, are just sucking up to you to get things! So hand over the stupid digimental so we can give it to someone who can responsibly deal with it!"

"NEVER!" roared Metallife Kuwagamon loudly, "I'll use the digimental! I don't care about the others, I'll be powerful for myself! I'll have the world in my hands and no one will be able to deny me!"

"Don't you understand? You won't find happiness in power!" the girl shouted. "I thought I'd be happy when I got everything I wanted, when I got to go home, but I found that I really just felt worse! I found out my true happiness was with my friends! My real friends, not the ones that just wanted me to give them stuff, but the ones that weren't afraid to tell me when I was being a brat…and Metallife Kuwagamon you're being a brat!"

"Ren…be careful," growled Ebidramon as the large lobster tensed up. Metallife Kuwagamon was growling louder and one of his hands had merged into a blade. "You better get down."

Suddenly the stag beetle human rushed forward lifting his blade hand. "You'll be cut to ribbons and I'll show you how happy I'll be when your digimon is forced to beg for mercy!"

"Get out of the way, Ebidramon!" Ren yelped as Metallife Kuwagamon jumped forward.

"Lobster Step!" shouted Ebidramon loudly as she swung her pincer against the blade. The lobster was sent rolling backward against a large, marble pillar. Metallife Kuwagamon stalked toward the lobster; his blade was lifted.

"Ebidramon, get up!" Ren shouted loudly as Ebidramon shook off the attack. "You have to get up!" Ren looked around feverishly, "There has to be something I can do!" A green light glowed through Ren's shirt. She looked at Ebidramon, who was wobbly getting up. "Please…don't get hurt…not for me…"

The light blazed through Ren's shirt. The girl blinked and pulled on the chain that hung around her neck. The pendant on the end of the chain was glowing. The small crest within the pendant; the tear drop inscribed on the crest was piercing the air with light.

"That…energy…" Ebidramon rose up on her feet. "It's the same as the energy that overcame me in the Human World," A golden light engulfed Ebidramon, stopping Metallife Kuwagamon in his tracks. "Ebidramon digivolve to…Cyberdramon!"

The light rose into the air. Wide, crimson, leathery wings spread to the sky. The head had a metallic face plate and thin, ear-like horns. Her chest was covered in formfitting metallic armor, just enough to cover the toned but rounded upper torso. Her stomach was muscular but thin. Her legs and arms were muscular but not bulky. Her arms in particular were accentuated with two large spikes that projected just distally to her elbows. A lean black tail swept behind the black dragon as she rose into the air.

"I am not afraid of another Ultimate digimon, I don't know what kind of enemies you've been facing but you don't scare me, Cyberdramon!" The stag beetle snorted in irritation.

"That's because you don't know the power of my Desolation Claw," replied Cyberdramon quietly as she hovered in the air.

Metallife Kuwagamon lifted his hand up. The blade returned to fingers, but his fingertips now glowed with light, "Then eat laser…"

Five streaks of light flew through the air and seared past Cyberdramon. Ren yelped as the dragon dove between the lights. The streamers of light, though, weren't finished. They curved around and chased after the black dragon. Cyberdramon spun around and dove between the lights again parrying between them as they cut the air around her. The lasers turned around and shot at Cyberdramon stabbing the dragon in the chest. Ren gasped as Cyberdramon twirled toward the ground. Metallife Kuwagamon chuckled as he approached. His hand returned to a blade form.

"Cyberdramon watch out!" Ren ran toward the dragon but Metallife Kuwagamon appeared in front of her and slapped the girl away with the broadside of his blade hand. Ren slouched against the front of the first tier of seats that used to compose the senatorial seating.

"Foolish humans, they are so weak…" chuckled Metallife Kuwagamon as he watched the girl try to stand, but she staggered and fell back, her mind too muddled with pain and disorientation to allow her legs to work.

"You're wrong," growled a voice behind Metallife Kuwagamon. The stag beetle turned. Cyberdramon was standing. Her hands tightened into a clawed fist. "I've been to the Human World, if anything their strength is immense…they have a power that most digimon lack, determination…it overcomes their physical inadequacies and overshadows any muscle. They don't quit, they just keep coming."

"Then I'll just have to destroy them all," growled Metallife Kuwagamon. "It's the only way."

"You won't harm anyone, ever again!" growled Cyberdramon as she ripped the spiked projections of her arms through the air. The energy fed into her palms. "Desolation Claw!"

A stream of emerald energy roared toward Metallife Kuwagamon. The insect man's shocked expression burned bright green as the dimensional energy coursed over his body. He stood dazed as the energy fizzled around his body and then he dropped to his knees.

"Darkness, your heart was covered in uncontrollable darkness, Metallife Kuwagamon," growled a voice from the entrance of the forum. Cyberdramon looked up and saw Shadramon standing there. "You thought your way was best, you didn't care how you carried out your plan…that unfettered darkness turned to hatred and evil. You murdered many innocent digimon, and now look at you. Pathetic, worthless…"

"Have pity on me…" whimpered Metallife Kuwagamon as he dropped to his hands. "Please…have pity on me…"

"I have pity for you," growled Shadramon as he walked forward.

"Don't do it…" whispered Ren quietly. The girl was leaning against the first tier of seating. "Don't kill him, if we do, we'll be no better than he is. Just take the digimental, Cyberdramon, that's what we came for."

The black dragon nodded and turned to pick up the black crystal ball. Metallife Kuwagamon growled softly and lifted his nonblade hand. His fingertips glowed brightly.

"CYBERDRAMON!" shouted Shadramon.

He rushed forward and shoulder blocked the back of the Ultimate stag beetle. Metallife Kuwagamon lurched forward and his laser exploded into the ground. The blast reflected upward erupting around the stag beetle and the moth dragon. Shadramon was tossed back by the explosion and slid across the ground. Metallife Kuwagamon burned as his body was consumed by the explosion. Cyberdramon ran to Shadramon and picked up the moth digimon.

"Are you ok?" asked the black dragon.

"I…think so…" whispered Shadramon, "I was right…he didn't last…I knew his attempts to capture the Human World would lead to his destruction…I knew it…" Shadramon smirked quietly, "I was witness to my own prophecy…I don't think that's supposed to happen…"

"Shadramon!" Cyberdramon shook the moth winged digimon. "Wake up, Shadramon!"

The moth lifted a hand and then disappeared into the wind.

"No…" Ren staggered toward Cyberdramon, "That's not fair…that's not…" Ren closed her eyes and cried. "Why did he have to die?"

"That has been a question many have tried to answer ever since the Digital World came to fruition…" Cyberdramon replied quietly as she picked up Ren.

"And…?" Ren sniffled as she looked up at the dragon's face.

"No one knows why those that are good have to die…" replied Cyberdramon quietly as she turned and walked to digimental and picked it up. Cyberdramon lifted the digimental to Ren, who took it weakly in her hands. "We can only be happy that the life they had was lived in goodness." Cyberdramon's wings opened and she glided into the air. "Life is a special gift, one that we don't learn how to work until we've lost it. We can only hope that he remembers his life when he hatches in Primary Village."

888

Black steam flowed into the red glow of the throne room. The shadows coalesced into three canine figures, two were lupine and the last was vulpine. The two wolves stepped back and bowed slightly to the throne caste in shadows. The nine tailed fox looked dazedly up at the throne.

"Release his mind," said the obscured figure that sat at the throne.

The two wolves nodded quietly and the clouded eyes of the fox sharpened and he shook his head. The silver fox growled softly at his captors before realizing where he was. The fox suddenly became silent and bowed his head to the ground and swept his tails between his legs.

"My lord, I…" the fox shudder quietly.

"Be silent, Kyuubimon," replied the being sitting on the throne. "You attempted to run from my escorts, and you failed your mission." The figure shifted in his throne and stood up. "If I didn't know better, Kyuubimon, I'd think you were trying to be dissident…" The figure's eyes shot through the darkness, "Is that true, do you want this throne? Do you want to overthrow my power?"

"My lord…" Kyuubimon rose up and looked at his master, "it would be my greatest desire to take over your throne…"

The figure looked at Kyuubimon, "Not many digimon have the courage to say that to my face, Kyuubimon. Do you know why?"

The fox shook his head.

"It's because they know their ambition will over step their abilities," replied the figure quietly as looked at the fox, "but you, no, you know better, you actually believe you can take my throne from me don't you?"

"My lord…" Kyuubimon replied, flustered. "I don't understand…"

"You will understand, eventually," replied the figure quietly, "One day you'll be in my position, one of your minions will show their underlying dissidence towards you, and you'll have to decide how to deal with it. Will you destroy them…or will you allow them to continue on…"

"I apologize my lord; I did not mean to disresp…" Kyuubimon stopped in mid-sentence as five razor-like fingers sliced through the darkness.

"I'm not finished," replied the figure, "I have yet to make my decision…"

Kyuubimon gulped and took a step back. "My lord…I do not wish to…"

"Cowardice, it doesn't befit you, Kyuubimon," replied the shadowy figure. "You were doing so well, too…"

"No!" Kyuubimon hissed as the blades lifted, he closed his eyes and remember the screams of mercy from Dracmon. Pink silken fabric was pulled into the candlelight as the arm of Kyuubimon's master lifted. "No, I won't die crying for mercy!" Kyuubimon flashed his tails upward. "Fox Tail Inferno!"

Bursts of blue flame fired into the shadows. The blades lowered and the figure chuckled quietly in the darkness. The figure moved forward silently. Robes around his arms and legs wafted in the air.

"Good, Kyuubimon, you show promise…you may just yet take this throne as your own…" The figure stopped shy of leaving the shadows. The fox still trembled slightly, and his tails were still raised in aggression. "I have a job for you, Kyuubimon; you shall go to the small town of Diggers' Gulch. I wish to purchase the services of a gang of digimon….we will only have one chance to get what we want from the digi-destined, so I want you to oversee this directly, even going as far as participating. You will be responsible for the capture of the digimental and the child. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Lord Matadormon," whispered the fox as he took a step back.

"Good," replied the digimon as he walked from the shadows.

Long, pink, silken sleeves fell from his thin arms and body. He walked up to the kitsune digimon. A golden pair of bat wings curled around his thin waist just above a pair of flowing, silken pants; their crimson pigment was augmented by the candlelight. He lifted his bladed fingers and gently slid them down the side of Kyuubimon's cheek. Crimson data flowed through the fox's fur.

Matadormon dipped his fingers into the wound on the fox's face. He drew his fingers up and touched them against his lips and licked. The silk dressed digimon smiled softly.

"Lord Matadormon…" whispered Kyuubimon as he watched his master gently run his tongue over his long razor like fingers.

"Good, strong data is hard to find, Kyuubimon," replied the master quietly. "Fortunately, in you, I have it in abundance…"

The fox nodded quietly as Matadormon kneeled down and gently nuzzled against the fox's cheek. Kyuubimon's eyes clouded slightly as his master took his sustenance. After a few minutes the thin, almost sticklike, digimon rose. Kyuubimon looked up at his master.

"Go, you have much to accomplish, the digi-destined will be on their train soon, we must get to them before the Order does," said Matadormon authoritatively.

"Of course, my lord," replied Kyuubimon. The fox lowered his head and disappeared into thin air.

"You two, prepare for our visitor," said the master to the two wolves. "This must go very smoothly, lest it end in disaster…"

The two wolves nodded quietly and turned into black fog, and flowed out of the room, leaving Matadormon alone in his weakly lit throne room. Three more shadows elongated from behind the darkened throne.

"When will we act, Lord Matadormon?" asked one of the shadows in a low hiss.

"We will find out when we have the child," replied Matadormon quietly.

"The dark haired child, the child that the darkness wants?" purred the second shadow. "The cute human child…."

"Yes," replied Matadormon quietly, "If all goes right, we may not have to do much of anything…"

"But I've been waitin' for a bit of a war," grunted the third shadow, "It's been too long, since we've fought in a real fight, my gun will get all rusted if we keep this up. When I joined this little syndicate I was expectin' a little action ya know…"

"Your gun needn't get too rusty…" purred the second shadow. "You can always find some action if you're looking for it…"

"I can't understand why you two must enact such inappropriate business behavior," whispered the first shadow.

"Who's talkin' business?" chuckled the third shadow.

"We haven't time for this flippancy," whispered Matadormon. The three shadows straightened up. "Each of you must be prepared, and don't worry, there will a lot of 'action' when we attempt to take the Order's headquarters…"

The shadows shifted and then faded back into the darkness behind the throne. Matadormon sighed quietly and returned to his throne, but not before noticing one last drop of crimson data sliding down the side of the finger. He smirked quietly and slid his finger alone his mouth gently letting his tongue slide across the cold metal until it traced over the pocket of warm data and then Matadormon faded into the shadows with his companions.

**888**

**AN: This chapter may not be as strong as the last one, functionally, but I like how things played out. From the interplay between Butterflymon, Shadramon and Metallife Kuwagamon, to Ren and the Human World, to Renamon's saving of Ren, to the way the boys act while cooped up (even the small interplay between Digmon and Tentomon), to the way Kyuubimon gets talked to at the end of the chapter. I liked the play these characters had, sometimes at the expense of plot, which is probably why this chapter is a good deal longer than the last. I particularly liked the part where Ren gets knocked silly…(not that I advocate it, because it's wrong to hit girls, but it's something that most of the girls don't have to experience). Though Alforce beat me to the punch on being the first to use Matadormon (by name) in a story…drat, jk. Oh as to Inari...well...Inari is the kami of rice and...wine...and he used kitsune as messengers, and eventually was depicted as a kitsune, if you want to know more you can look at wikpedia I think they have something on Inari and kitsune. **

**Blue: Ren did go home, really, it wasn't a fake. And she comes back. And she rocks the world. Kind of. **

**Flare Flail: That's ok, I don't really mind. I only get worried when a chapter gets no reviews at all…then I fear I went over a line or it was boring or horrible. **

**Dark: thanks. **


	26. The Locomon Showdown

**I don't own digimon**

**The Locomon Showdown**

**888**

"So what do ye harve?" asked a growling salty voice, its owner was a lavender colored ball digimon with just a pair of arms protruding from its sides. "I have king high!"

"I harve a para twos," said a second voice. The first speaker looked at the second. He was a small, gray, spheroid digimon with chromed arms and legs.

"HA!" chuckled a reddish sphere with mechanical enhancements covering its round body and short limbs. "I harve ye beat with these here threes!"

"Uh…gin!" shouted a large ball with stubby arms as he dropped a fistful of cards down on the table.

"Are you always so smart there, Big Mamemon?" grumbled a fifth voice. It was a ball not too unlike the first speaker, save he had a pair of horns that speared the air on each side of his head. "We're playin' Guts…if you ain't got the rules down you have no reason to play!" The horned ball turned to a pair of bluish, spherical digimon with a lightning bolt attached to their heads. "Innit that right, boys?"

"Sure is boss!" shouted the two digimon.

"Those Thunderballmon probably have more brains in their pinkies than you have in your whole, rotund body," snarled the horned ball.

"Mamemon! Giromon is bein' a means to me again!" cried the large metal ball.

"Hey! You know Big Mamemon is a self consciacious about his size!" growled the gray ball digimon. He slammed a crimson gloved fist on the table, splitting the piece of furniture in two and sending playing cards in all directions.

"Settle down, Mamemon," said the lavender ball as he hovered above the remains of the piece of furniture, "We're all friends here. We're just a little testy because we don't have the proper drinks to wet our whistles." The lavender ball glided from the halved table and over to the bar counter. He rapped on the bar and a flowery lizard lifted his head.

"How can I help you?" said the little flower digimon with a stutter.

"We are needin' some of your ale," said the spheroid pleasantly. "The faster the better, my friends are startin' to get a wee bit on the dry side if yas knows what I mean."

"Yes, Tekkamon," the flower digimon nodded and walked over to the cabinet. "I don't suppose you'd be considerin' payin'…on your tab?"

"Now, my dear Floramon," said the sphere quietly, "You know we're friends…"

"Well…but I can't be givin' this away…" gulped the flower lizard quietly.

"But we're friends…aren't we?" murmured Tekkamon quietly, "I mean cuz if we aren't being friends then we must be enemies…and jeesh I don't think you'd be wantin' to give this little town a feud now would ya?"

"No, sir," sighed Floramon as he pulled dragged a keg from under the bar and set it up on the far side of the bar and undid the cork on the spicket.

Floramon then gathered a group of glassed together and one after the other slid them under the nozzle of the spicket and filled them with an amber liquid. Floramon then took them to the table, with Tekkamon following behind. Floramon looked at the destroyed table and sighed as he put the mugs on an adjacent table.

"Why thank you Floramon!" said the metallically augmented sphere digimon.

"Don't worry…" Floramon sighed quietly, "They're on the house…"

"Nuh uh, they're there on the table," pointed out Big Mamemon.

"Sometimes I worry about that boy," murmured Giromon as he hovered past the large ball.

"This isn't the time to be complainin', Giromon," whispered Tekkamon as he took up a mug and past the others around, "Now, how about we hear one for the gang, and good fortunes ahead!"

"Yeah!" cheered the other spheroid digimon as they lifted their glassed and took a sip.

"What if I could increase those fortunes ten thousand fold?" asked a voice. The spheroid digimon spun around. A pair of sharp blue eyes pierced a shadow that lazily hung in the corner of the saloon.

"Who's there?" growled the metal enhanced ball as he jumped forward and pointed his right, cannon arm forward.

"Oh, Metal Mamemon, you disappoint me, I was sure your sensors would've picked me up…I think you've let your ale get to your circuitry," chuckled the voice. The shadows distorted and a silver fox appeared in the saloon. "I come requesting your skills…"

"We doubt we are cheap enough for your lackluster finances," snorted Tekkamon quietly as he lowered down and picked up the hilt of a sword that had been lying on the floor.

Giromon followed suit and picked up a chainsaw that lay on the ground next to where he'd been sitting. The other spheroid digimon clenched their fists and growled at the fox.

"Oh, but you know not the limits of my riches," whispered the fox quietly. The silver kitsune tilted its head and a large bag appeared on the floor. It slumped to one side and a mountain of gold coins clanked to the ground. "There are one hundred bags just like this one waiting for you, if you complete a little mission for my master…"

"Who says we're that cheap?" growled Tekkamon loudly.

"What are you doing?" hissed Metal Mamemon and Mamemon as they made sidelong glances at the lavender ball that hovered in the air.

"Haggling," hissed Tekkamon back, "If they have a hundred bags of gold like that hanging around then they have more!"

"I'm not deaf," whispered the fox quietly, "Trust me, you do not wish to incur the wrath of my master. I suggest you take the payment offered, graciously…"

"Or what?" growled Tekkamon loudly.

"I will be forced to report this affront to my master, Lord Matadormon," sighed the fox quietly.

"M-M-M-Matadormon…" gulped the digimon gang as they looked at each other in terror.

"That's big fish, Tekkamon," Giromon whispered, "I heard he has the power to kill an enemy with just a look!"

"I heard that he consumes the souls of those he defeats," gulped Metal Mamemon as he shuddered under his metallic armor.

"I heard he can fillet a Whamon with just one swipe of his hand," Mamemon whimpered as he hid behind Big Mamemon.

"I heard he wears girly clothes," chuckled Big Mamemon. The other spheroid digimon blinked at the large metal bearing and then inched slowly away from him, as if lightning was about to strike the massive ball.

"You must have profound luck," smirked the fox quietly, "for what use my master sees in you is obviously lost on me…"

"Hey, we're the best wranglers, ruffians and all round mean guys in this part of the continent!" shouted Giromon. The fox quirked and eyebrow and the horned ball stopped dead in its hover and gulped, "Well, excepts for maybe you guyses…"

"What's our job?" Tekkamon said confidently, "I'm tired of this fumbling, I want my gold!"

"Our gold!" Metal Mamemon pointed out.

"Yeah…right…" Tekkamon grumbled. He pushed a button on the hilt he carried and a long energy blade slid from the hilt. "So, what's the job, foxy?"

"Don't call me that," the fox snorted as it turned, letting its nine tails sweep behind it. "You can call me, Kyuubimon…sama…"

"What?" yelped the ball digimon loudly as they glared at the fox.

Giromon hovered forward. "How dare a puny Champ…"

The fox spun around and glared at Giromon. His eyes blazed and flames swept around Giromon and pinned the horned digimon to the ground. "I demand respect from all those I employ…great…" Kyuubimon smirked and the flames disappeared from Giromon's purple body, "and small…" The fox looked at the others, "Is that clear?"

"As crystal," gulped the Mamemon brothers and the Thunderballmon. Tekkamon only inclined his head.

"Kyuubimon…sama," Tekkamon said with a bit of frustrated hesitation. "What, particularly, are we doing for your master?"

"I need you to capture an object and a human…" Kyuubimon replied quietly as he returned to his shadow. "They are taking the eight AM Locomon Express out of Giga House, you are to intercept it before they reach its destination in Fir Heights…that is if you want your payment…" The fox's eyes glowed and the bag of gold it had produced disappeared. "I will be watching you, so don't think about doing anything stupid."

"What's this human look like? And what's this object!" yelped Mamemon loudly.

Kyuubimon's eyes glowed a second time and a manilla envelope appeared on a bar table. "Everything you need to know is in there."

"Thank you, Kyuubimon-sama!" gaped Metal Mamemon as he hopped over to the table.

"If you are to get this job done, I suggest you start moving; the Express has already left Giga House…" replied the fox. The spheroid digimon nodded numbly and then as if the kitsune was a warm breeze it was gone in the darkness.

888

"This is kind of neat," giggled Jiro as he looked around the train car.

Digimon from all over were on the train. Most were insect digimon that had left Giga House. Agumon sat next to Jiro. The small tyrannosaur poked the box that Jiro held on his lap.

"Aren't you the least bit worried about the…" Agumon lifted his head up to Jiro's ear and whispered, "…digimental?"

"Not really…" replied Jiro as he looked down at the box on his lap. "It's kind of funny though…my legs feel so cold, and when I try to pick it up it's really heavy…"

"Maybe you should have one of the older kids hold it," Agumon suggested as he poked the box, half expecting it to explode into some sort of tentacle wielding monster.

"It's not a problem, Agumon," Jiro replied quietly, "I can do this. I'm not a little kid…"

"Guilmon, stop that!" grumbled Haru's voice sharply.

Jiro and Agumon looked over the back of their seat and saw Haru trying to push the red and black dragon off of him. Guilmon was trying to look out the window of the train car; unfortunately he was on the aisle side of the seat and thusly had to climb over Haru to see outside.

"I'm sorry, Haru," whimpered the dragon as he curled back into his seat. "I just wanted to see…"

"How about you sit on the inside, and I sit on the outside…" Haru replied with a smile.

"Ok, Haru," giggled Guilmon as Haru slid over and Guilmon stood and walked around Haru. Guilmon looked happily out the window. Haru only smiled as the digimon watched the scenery pass.

Jiro turned and in front of him. Taku was leaning against the side of the coach. DemiDevimon was resting on his head. Jiro stared at the black haired boy intently.

"He's so lonely…" whispered Jiro quietly. "I wish I could get closer to him…but he's so cold…so distant…like a lost dream…"

"Or a nightmare," Agumon replied quietly.

"No…he's not a nightmare…he's just," Jiro eyes narrowed as if he was thinking about something, "confused."

"What are you looking at?" growled Taku as he looked at Jiro. The younger blonde shifted under the hard glare of the dark eyed boy.

"I-I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare…" Jiro replied quietly as he looked down suddenly.

"ACK! You pinched my butt! And my…my…" there was a loud slapping sound from in front of Jiro and across the aisle. A digimon crashed to the floor of the car. It was dressed in a cowboy outfit. Its torso was composed of a large revolver. A brightly flashing handprint pulsed in the shadows of the digimon's hat. Ren was glaring down at the digimon; her fists were raised, "You pervert!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," whimpered the digimon as he rubbed the side of his cheek. "It's not very often that I see a perty lady around these parts…"

"That's no excuse, hentai!" shouted Ren as she clenched a fist.

"That's where you got to!" growled a second voice. Jiro looked into the aisle. A star bodied digimon with a cowboy hat walked down the aisle and grabbed the revolver bodied digimon by the ear. "Well, I see this time Georgy Porgy is the one cryin' from trying to kiss the girls…" The star shaped digimon looked at Ren. "I'm sorry miss, but my friend, Deputymon, is a bit of a lecher…"

"No kidding," snorted Ren quietly.

A small, vulpine puff ball hopped up on the girl's lap, "If I was Renamon you'd be catching a ride outside the train!"

"If there is anything I can do to help ya out…" The star smiled happily, "The name's Starmon, Locomon Express security officer!"

"That's a mouthful," said Ren quietly.

"I think it's just a long way of saying he's a glorified conductor," giggled vulpine fur ball.

"Shh, Viximon," whispered Ren as she tried to stifle her giggle.

"What?" Starmon retorted as he looked at Viximon.

"Nothing!" giggled Ren and Viximon.

"Come on, you little troublemaker, we gotta get our rounds done," grumbled Starmon as he pulled Deputymon after him.

Jiro smiled as the two digimon disappeared to the next train car. The blonde boy looked around, poked his head above his seat and saw Kisho and DORUmon sitting next to a pink digimon across the aisle. It had long thin wings attached to its small fur ball body. It had two small, black eyes that blinked in silence, and though his body was small an aura of power surrounded him. The digimon looked up at Jiro and smiled. Jiro gulped and slid down into his seat.

"Who's that guy back there?" whispered Jiro as he indicated over the back of his chair. "The one sitting with Kisho."

Agumon stuck his head above the back of the seat and blanched. Agumon slipped back down and looked at Jiro.

"It's Piximon…" whispered Agumon quietly. "He's pretty famous…he used to be a commander of you know who's army before you know who went crazy. Piximon was one of the first to raise a resistance against him…later on he became one of the helpers in the reconstruction and helped build the Citadel of Light…"

"Citadel of Light…" Jiro held up his tag and crest, "What's the Citadel of Light…?"

"No one's really sure, all that's truly know is that there are seven exceptionally powerful digimon that live there…" whispered Agumon quietly.

"They maintain the harmony barrier, yep, yep," said a chirpy voice. Jiro and Agumon jumped in shock as the little digimon slid onto the seat.

"So they can't…help us then?" Jiro looked at the pink digimon.

"No, it takes all their power to maintain the barrier and focus the energy from the lynch pins of this world…" Piximon smirked happily.

"What are you doing here?" Agumon whispered as he looked at Piximon.

"Hmm, I'm here to make sure things go well," replied Piximon quietly. "The shadows of this continent have grown long. Hopefully the light will be returned to us."

Jiro looked down at his tag and crest. "The light…it seems everyone I speak to talks about the power of light…"

Piximon smiled brightly, "There's a reason for that...but I think it would be best if Gennai explain that…he was always better at explaining things than I was…yep, yep."

"Awe, but I want to know!" whimpered Jiro quietly.

"Good things come to those who wait," chuckled Piximon quietly.

"Who are you talking to, now?" Taku peered over his seat.

Piximon furrowed his brow. The digimon shivered quietly and slid from the seat.

"Piximon, wait let me introduce you," Jiro yelped as the pink digimon hovered backward on his rapidly beating wings.

"No, that's quite ok, yep, yep…" Piximon shivered again as he looked into Taku's eyes. "I'm quite sure who that is…"

"What's that supposed to mean you overgrown tennis ball," Taku snarled as Piximon hovered back to Kisho.

"Nothing…nothing…" Piximon said as he sat down next to Kisho. The brunette looked down at Piximon and then glared up at Taku.

"Don't start with me, goggle head," growled Taku, "He started it!"

"This again?" Haru sighed as he hung over Jiro's seat. "'It's not my fault, I'm not to blame'…jeesh is that all you know how to say?"

"Stuff it, Haru," Taku growled as he turned and slunk down in his seat. Ren looked up at the boys and only rolled her eyes and then returned to petting Viximon.

Kisho sighed quietly and crossed his arms. He leaned back against his seat. The other digi-destined leaned back. The digimon sighed quietly, except Guilmon. The dragon digimon rose up and growled out of the window.

"What's wrong, Guilmon?" Haru asked as he looked out the window.

The train lurched and bounced and rattled. The children were thrown to the floor with the rest of the digimon passengers. The train screeched loudly as the wheels squealed.

"What's going on?" groaned Haru as Guilmon tried to get disentangled from the blonde haired child.

"Digimon are attacking the train…" Guilmon snarled as explosions erupted around the train car.

The door of the train car exploded open. A metal enhanced, red ball walked into the car on short legs. His right arm was smoking quietly. His left arm had long gauntleted claws.

"This here is a stickup!" shouted the ball loudly.

"Of all the times…" grumbled Ren as she and Viximon sat up.

The metal digimon walked forward, "Now line up!"

"I'll show you line up…" growled Haru as he lifted his digivice. "How about it, Guilmon?"

"No," Kisho shouted loudly, "We can't do anything…not here!"

"What?" Taku glared up at Kisho.

"If we fight here, innocent digimon will get hurt!" returned Kisho with a growl.

"Silence!" growled the metal enhanced sphere. "I said get up and line up!"

"We're going, we're going," Ren got up and stood in line behind a group of Numemon. She held Viximon in her arms.

"Ah…the humans…" whispered the digimon. "Right everyone out of here! Out front!"

888

The digimon and the digi-destined were ushered out of the train. The train was toppled over spinning its wheels. A soulful moan rumbled from the engine of the train.

"I want to run…I want to keep running…" moaned the train.

"Ah, shut it!" grumbled a purple spheroid digimon that hovered up in the air above the train. "All you Locomon are the same!" He lifted his hand and a crystal skull formed into his palm. "Slamming Skull!"

The purple digimon threw the skull down on the train. The digimon passengers shuddered and turned their heads. The smoke cleared and revealed that the train digimon was just unconscious. The lavender ball digimon was then surrounded by other spherical digimon.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," said the lavender ball. He lifted an energy sword, "We're the Mamemon gang!"

"I'm Mamemon," announced a plain looking gray sphere digimon.

"I'm Metal Mamemon," announced the crook who had invaded the digi-destineds' train car.

"I'm…uh…" A large metal sphere with stubby arms and legs stuttered.

"Big Mamemon, you idiot!" growled a horned ball carrying a chainsaw. The horned digimon glared down at the train passengers, "I'm Giromon!"

"And I am Tekkamon…" growled the lavender digimon with the energy sword. "Now, give us everything you have!" The lavender sphere looked at the humans. "Ah…the digi-destined…"

The digi-destined glared at Tekkamon, but the purple ball only smirked. He pointed at the box that the smallest human held. Giromon hovered toward the boy but the others stepped between Giromon and the little boy.

"Out of my way!" growled Giromon loudly.

"No way, buster!" growled the human girl. A golden puff ball was growling on the girl's head.

"Don't make me get violent!" snarled Giromon as his chainsaw buzzed to life.

"Do it!" shouted Kisho loudly.

"DORUmon digivolve to DORUgamon!" A lavender dragon shot out a glowing wave of light. The fox-like dragon slapped his tail into Giromon.

"What happened to innocent digimon?" Haru smirked at Kisho.

"We're outside now…" Kisho said. He turned to the other digimon. "Everyone, get out of here; we'll deal with these soccer balls!"

"Nice try!" snorted the other gang members.

Mamemon lifted his hand up. "Smiley Bomb!"

A crimson orb fired down and sent DORUgamon crashing to the ground. Kisho gulped as DORUgamon tried to stand. Big Mamemon crashed down and punched DORUgamon sending the lavender dragon staggering backward.

"I could use a little help!" Kisho shouted.

"Right!" Haru nodded as he lifted his digivice.

Guilmon leapt forward, "Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!"

The large yellow cyborg dragon swept his metal claws against Big Mamemon. The large ball bounced backward with a grunt.

"Let me deal with this one!" growled Metal Mamemon. The round, red digimon dove downward. "Energy Bomb!"

Crimson bolts fired from the metal enhanced Mamemon's cannon arm. Raptordramon groaned as he was pushed back by the crimson energy.

"We need more power…" Kisho yelped as DORUgamon was smacked around by Mamemon. Big Mamemon smashed into the chest of Raptordramon. Kisho shuddered as DORUgamon caught the business end of Metal Mamemon's clawed gauntlet. "DORUgamon…" Kisho's crest glowed brightly.

"DORUgamon digivolve to DORUgremon!" The lavender dragon emerged from the light as a large, crimson dragon with silver wings. "You're messing with the wrong mon…" DORUgremon opened his wings. "Metal Meteor!"

Streaks of molten metal spit fired around Mamemon and Metal Mamemon. The two ball digimon leapt away as they rushed away from liquid metal pellets. DORUgremon swept his tail around sending Big Mamemon into the other two Mamemon. The three metal digimon groaned.

"Gah! Useless!" shouted Tekkamon. "Giromon! Show these humans no one messes with us!"

"Right!" nodded the horned digimon and he buzzed forward, slashing his chainsaw toward DORUgremon. DORUgremon backed away and drew his wings up. The chainsaw ground against the DORUgremon's wings.

"I'm coming, DORUgremon!" Raptordramon moved toward the two Ultimate digimon.

"No you don't!" shouted Tekkamon as he flew forward and swept his sword forward. Raptordramon snarled as he fell backward.

"Raptordramon! Get up, we need to help DORUgremon!" shouted Haru loudly as he watched the three Mamemon get up and ganged up on DORUgremon.

"Spinning Mine!" Giromon threw an explosive down on the dragon.

"Smiley Bomb!" Mamemon hovered above the dragon and fired a crimson ball at DORUgremon.

"Big Smiley Bomb!" Big Mamemon hoisted up a medicine ball sized energy burst into the chest of the dragon.

"And last but not least!" Metal Mamemon shot forward and slashed his claws across DORUgremon's stomach. "Metal Claw!"

They struck the large, crimson dragon from all sides forcing his retreat from the train tracks. Tekkamon laughed out loud as Raptordramon struggled to his feet.

"Don't get up! It won't do any good!" Tekkamon pointed his sword at Raptordramon, "I'm the best swordsman in these parts!"

"Fat chance!" Haru shouted, "Raptordramon, let's show him the real swordsman!"

Haru's crest blazed and fired an energy burst at Raptordramon.

"Raptordramon digivolve to Grademon!" A gold swordsman leapt from the light and clashed his swords against the blade of Tekkamon. Tekkamon retreated in shock as he flew upward. Grademon's cloak swept around as the swordsman sliced his swords in a circle, "Grade Slash!" A stream of energy crashed into the three Mamemon brothers. "Gotcha…"

"I got you!" shouted Giromon as he spun around. Grademon crashed his sword against the spinning chainsaw. There was sharp laughter as Tekkamon joined Giromon, pinning Grademon down behind his twin swords.

"Bloody Tower!" growled DORUgremon as a spinning tower of bloody energy roared from the dragon toward Tekkamon and Giromon.

The three Mamemon brothers threw themselves in front of the tower and counterattacked with their bomb strikes. The other digi-destined looked worriedly on as the gang seemed to overwhelm the two Ultimates.

"That's it!" growled Taku as he lifted his digivice. "Let's show 'em DemiDevimon!"

"That's not necessary," A pink digimon flew forward and in his hand was a spinning staff. "I'll deal with these bullies, yep, yep!"

"He's right," Kisho and Haru nodded in unison and looked at Taku, "You, Jiro, and Ren help the other passengers get out of the way…we'll deal with the train robbers…"

"Gah! Fine," growled Taku as he turned to the other digimon, "Right you guys, this way!"

Taku, Ren, Jiro and their digimon ran away from the battle. The other digimon ran after them.

"Hey!" shouted Metal Mamemon as he turned to chase after the retreating digimon.

"Pit Bomb!" the pink digimon shouted as he swept his staff forward and fired an air shot into Metal Mamemon. Metal Mamemon flew through the window of one of the train cars. The pink digimon cheered loudly, "Score one for Piximon!"

"Big Mamemon!" shouted Mamemon as he punched DORUgremon. "Go after them!"

"Now, just wait right there…partner," Two digimon ran from the group following the retreating digimon. One was a digimon that looked as if he was made from a revolver; the other was a star shaped digimon. "You gotta get through us first, you 'ear?"

"Ready, Deputymon?" asked the star digimon.

"Let's round 'im up and put 'im down, Starmon," nodded the revolver digimon.

"Big Smiley Bomb!" snarled Big Mamemon as he charged forward.

"Meteor Shower!" shouted Starmon as he thrust his hand up and streamers of light spun down from the sky.

"Justice Bullet!" Deputymon's chest barrel exploded firing a large bullet of light.

The two attacks exploded into Big Mamemon's Big Smiley Bomb and neutralized it.

"Crossing Blade!" roared Grademon as he sent Tekkamon and Giromon spinning out of control.

DORUgremon spread his wings and pellets of liquid metal pelted Mamemon drilling the little, metallic bean into the ground. DORUgremon chuckled, "That's one planted!"

"Energy Bomb!"

"Pit Bomb!"

The train car that Metal Mamemon had flown into earlier exploded as Piximon and Metal Mamemon shot into the air. Piximon swung his staff forward, and got it caught in Metal Mamemon's claws. Metal Mamemon lifted his cannon arm.

"Piximon!" yelped DORUgremon. "Metal…"

"One Two Rush!" The ground under DORUgremon exploded as Mamemon sent two hard punches into the dragon's chest.

"I've got it!" shouted Grademon as he leapt upward. Suddenly he stopped in mid-leap and was flung backward by Giromon and Tekkamon who were yanking at the end of his azure cape.

"Justice Bullet!" shouted Deputymon and fired an energy bullet at the cyborg Mamemon, forcing the cyborg to push away from Piximon.

Starmon leapt on Big Mamemon and rode him like a bull. Unfortunately as Big Mamemon staggered around; he fell on top of Deputymon.

"Deputymon!" yelped Starmon as he leapt down.

"I'm ok…he's a big fella though, innit 'e?" groaned Deputymon from under the large ball bearing. Starmon rolled Big Mamemon off of Deputymon. The gun digimon stood up and shook himself off. He turned to the behemoth Mamemon and pulled his guns from the holsters on his hips. "Ryight, now's it's time we play a little game…I call it…Russian Roulette!"

His chest gun and side arms fired spontaneously like machine guns at Big Mamemon. The large spherical digimon grunted and snorted as he was pushed back by the bullets.

"Let me help!" Starmon lifted his hands, "Meteor Shower!" A cosmic blast sent Big Mamemon rolling in retreat.

Grademon leapt forward, as he retreated from the twin assault from Giromon and Tekkamon. The swordsman picked up Big Mamemon as the ball rolled to him, spun around and drop kicked the Big Mamemon into the two, purple, sphere digimon pursuing him. Mamemon was leaping around as the much larger DORUgremon tried to pin him down and in the air Piximon and Metal Mamemon were dog-fighting, trading explosive blows with one another in the sky.

"I think Jiro and the others are going to get away!" Haru cheered as he looked at Kisho.

"And that's what's important right now, as long as they have the digimental they can't get into enemy hands…" Kisho nodded in agreement.

888

"Fools…" Kyuubimon sighed as he watched, from a cliff top, the 'Mamemon Gang' getting their collective snot kicked out of them by a group of amateurs. His icy gaze fell on the two Thunderballmon that he had commanded to follow him after he departed the Mamemon Gang's company.

"Ky-Ky-Kyuubimon-sama…" gulped the first Thunderballmon.

"Those idiots think they've escaped…" Kyuubimon looked down at the children that were running toward the gully below. "We'll show them the true contest is just beginning…first we must separate them from the rest of the passengers," Kyuubimon looked up and saw a large boulder hanging on the edge of the cliff on the opposite side of the ravine. "Ah, here we go…"

He waited until the humans had passed under the boulder and then the fox lifted his tails up and fired streams of fire balls into the boulder. The rock dropped into the ravine effectively blocking it off to the rest of the train refugees.

"Wow, that was…awesome," said the Thunderballmon together.

"I demand nothing less than perfect, from myself or anyone," replied Kyuubimon haughtily. The fox's gaze flashed to the Thunderballmon, "So no slacking, get down there and get that digimental and that human!"

"Yes, Kyuubimon-sama, right away Kyuubimon-sama!" saluted the two blue, balls. They hovered into the air and then dropped down.

Kyuubimon smirked as the ravine was flooded with electrical energy; followed by explosions. The fox then leapt down and glided to the bottom of the ravine. The children had been taken off guard by the sudden attack. They were unconscious, and had been unable to even defend themselves. The smallest human, a blonde haired child was lying next to a crate and just a few centimeters from the crate the Digimental of Darkness rested, its round head lying in the dirt, and its root like stand grasping the air.

"Perfect…" Kyuubimon whispered.

His eyes fell on the black haired child that Lord Matadormon had been so interested in. The silver fox slowly walked up to the human. The little insect's bat partner was lying limply on top of it. The fox sneered. He didn't understand what kind of connection a viral digimon like DemiDevimon could ever have with one of those fated humans.

"What do we do now?" The Thunderballmon asked in unison.

"First, put these two on my back," growled Kyuubimon as he lay down. The Thunderballmon looked at each other in surprise and then nodded and picked the black haired child and his digimon and gently put them on the fox's back.

"Now what Kyuubimon-sama?" asked the Thunderballmon.

"Surrendering would be nice," growled a voice in the air.

"Piximon…" growled Kyuubimon as he eyed the pink fairy. "Shouldn't you be with those brats fighting the Mamemon?"

"Already dealt with them as we speak, Deputymon and Starmon are putting them in handcuffs…your master has disappointed me, I was sure he had better lackeys than that," replied the pink fairy with an arrogant smile as he buzzed in the air.

"You should know better than to get in matters pertaining to Lord Matadormon. Don't you remember your last encounter?" retorted the fox with a smirk. "I'm sure he doesn't see you as an adequate threat for his best minions."

"Heh, you're master got in a lucky slice!" laughed the fairy as he rubbed his shoulder, "Plus, it's not like I didn't get my licks in, too! Does his left shoulder still hurt?" The fairy looked down at Kyuubimon with a serious face, "I don't understand why such powerful digimon like you always fall into the shadows of the night, you could become a protector of the innocent, a powerful force of good, yet you work for the darkness and Matadormon, why?"

"Feh, I don't have to explain myself to you," Kyuubimon growled. The fox stood up. "I've known for a long time now that it's my fate to become king of this world, and to plunge the Human World into darkness…my service to Matadormon is just a ploy to get myself closer to my destiny. And once I gain the power to usurp him…"

"No one will let you become king!" Piximon snarled loudly as he buzzed in the air, "The harmony barrier will keep you down, the great angels of the Citadel of Light will stop you, and countless digimon will rise up against you!"

"Pathetic, impotent threats" snarled Kyuubimon loudly, "No angel or digimon has the power to stop my destiny, and I won't be scared by a little pink imp and his idle whimperings!"

"We'll see about that!" Piximon growled as he charged downward. "Pit Bomb!"

"Deal with him!" growled Kyuubimon as he phased into the air and evaded the blast from Piximon's staff. The Thunderballmon charged the fairy, but the little, pink Ultimate easily grounded the two lightning balls into rock of the ravine. Kyuubimon appeared at the top of the ravine and glared down at Piximon, "Your meddling will only serve to invoke my master's wrath, Piximon."

"Tell him, 'bring it on!'" growled the pink digimon as he spun his staff in his hand.

"I'd stay longer," hissed Kyuubimon as the fox looked toward the train tracks and saw the other digi-destined with Grademon and DORUgremon coming towards him, "but I have to get this delivery to my master."

"No you don't!" Piximon shouted as he buzzed upward.

"I don't have time for you," snorted Kyuubimon and the fox disappeared as Piximon slashed forward.

"COWARD!" screamed Piximon as he spun in a circle.

888

"He got Taku?" Kisho looked blankly at the fairy.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Piximon replied quietly as he looked at the others. Ren and Jiro had only awoken a few minutes ago. Piximon looked up at the stars. His face was glowing in the fire light. "I fear what Matadormon will do to him…"

"Matadormon is one of these warlords, right?" Haru asked quietly.

"He is the warlord; the others are just his, pawns," Piximon replied as he sighed. "I fought Matadormon several years ago…he nearly destroyed me, I was fortunate that my friends had come to save me…" The fairy winced as he held his shoulder, "I still have a bit of a twinge in my shoulder from the fight…but you should've seen him, I gave him a few good wallops too."

"Uh, huh," nodded Haru skeptically. "So what about the train and getting to Fir Heights?"

"Don't worry, the conductor phoned ahead," Piximon said with a smile. "A Blimpmon will be here in the morning to pick us up," The pink digimon looked at Jiro. The boy was still holding the crate that held the Digimental of Darkness. "Its power is increasing…but don't worry, I'm sure the Order will deal with it."

"Viximon, stop fidgeting!" Ren chastised as she fought to hold a squirming fox cub in her lap.

"I can't…help it, Ren…" whimpered the vulpine puff ball. "After I ate…it's like I'm burning up…"

"Hey that's how I felt when I was Botamon, right before I…" Agumon lifted a finger and exclaimed, and as if on cue the fox-like fluff ball glowed brightly and after the glow faded, Renamon was sitting on Ren's lap. Agumon lowered his finger, "…digivolved into Koromon…"

"Uh, hello, Renamon," blushed Ren as she looked at the golden fox.

"Hello Ren," The fox said regally as she stood up and then sat back down next to the brunette girl.

"So what do we do?" Jiro looked up at Kisho and then Piximon.

"Right now…" Kisho sighed quietly. "I'm not sure…if Matadormon continues to try and get the digimental he may send more powerful digimon than…" Kisho pointed over to the tied up Mamemon gang, "…them."

"And if Matadormon get his hands on the digimental," Piximon shuddered slightly and curled up.

"Then we need to get it to the Order so they can get rid of it," Haru said with a sharp nod. Gigimon nodded, too.

"They're right, Kisho; I don't like the idea of leaving Taku in Matadormon's hands either, but we can't let Matadormon get the digimental," responded Dorimon quietly. The lavender fur ball hopped onto Kisho's lap. "It would defeat the purpose of saving Taku if we give Matadormon the power to destroy everything else…"

"They have a point, Kisho," Ren said quietly. "I know, it sounds like we're just abandoning him, but we're just trying to see the big picture…"

"Kisho," Jiro looked up at the brunette, "I want to save Taku…but, we need to keep the rest of this world safe, too. We have to get this digimental to the Order…I can feel its power…and it isn't good…"

"How…how can we say our friend can wait while we make a delivery…?" Kisho whispered quietly to the fire. "How can I just leave him in the hands of…that villain…?"

"Because you're more than just a friend, you're our leader, and you need to think of more than what you want to do, and more than what would help one of us," Haru replied quietly. "I know I don't like Taku, but I'd never want him to get captured…not if I knew he was in real danger…"

"You didn't say that on Setup…" Kisho hissed under his breath.

"I didn't think he'd run into Volcamon, and I thought he'd get the idea and come looking for us…" Haru replied quietly. He looked down, "If I'd known…I'd never have let him go."

"Kisho," Piximon looked up at the brunette. "The decision is yours, but I must warn you, that if Matadormon get his claws on that digimental it means the end of not just this world, but any world he can get his fangs into."

Kisho looked down and then his eyes flicked over to the box that Jiro held. "We…have to get rid of that thing first…but as soon as it's in Gennai's hands we're going after Taku." Kisho looked at the others, "Understand me?" The other children nodded in unison. Kisho smiled, "Right, you guys get to sleep, I'll take the first watch…"

"Are you sure?" Ren looked up at Kisho, "I mean; Renamon and I…"

"No, we'll need you incase things go bad in the next few days…" said Kisho quietly.

Ren nodded and she and Renamon went to a set of blankets that the train staff had brought from the remains of the train cars. Locomon had been put straight earlier and was on his way to the next stop, but the train cars were severely damaged, which is why the train conductor had called for a pick up.

"Night, Kisho," Haru said as he patted the boy's head.

"Night, Kisho," Jiro smiled and strained to lift the digimental. The boy grunted and waddled off. "This thing keeps getting heavier and heavier…"

"Night Haru, Night Jiro-chan," called out Kisho as the two went into the darkness. The brunette then looked across the camp fire at Piximon, "Do you think…do you think Matadormon will hurt Taku?"

"He went through a lot of trouble to get Taku…" sighed Piximon quietly, "I do not know what he's planning for the child, but whatever it is; it won't be good."

Kisho sighed and looked into the fire. _"I hope you're ok, Taku…I would feel horrible if I was leaving you behind to be tortured…I hope I'm making the best choice…" _

888

Taku took another bite of steak. He purred as he chewed the meat. He looked across the table at DemiDevimon. The bat was on his fifteenth Chinese dumpling.

"I hope everything is to your liking, Yoshida-san," whispered a voice from the doorway of the dining room.

"This is the best supper I've had….ever…" said Taku between bites. "I mean…my mother isn't very domestic, and my dad couldn't boil water if his life depended on it…and my brother…" Taku stopped and frowned, "He couldn't care if I starved or not…" Taku looked up from the table and smiled to the figure in the doorway. The lanky figure in the puffy, silken outfit tilted his head slightly. "It wouldn't be too much to ask…if I could stay here…would it?"

"Of course not…" said the figure quietly. "I would be honored if you would stay here, Yoshida-san. I mean, we don't know where your friends went…"

"What do you mean, friends?" grumbled Taku quietly. He narrowed his eyes, "Those worms left me…left me to die…they took the princess and the twerp but left me and DemiDevimon behind…those aren't my friends…I don't ever want to see them again…"

DemiDevimon looked up at Taku and then he looked at the figure in the door, "Are you sure they left us? They could've just been blown down the ravine or something…"

"No, my servants looked most thoroughly in all directions…" said the figure quietly as he walked forward. The soft pink silk of his shirt flowed with his movements, "In fact I had my top searcher, Kyuubimon, to look three sectors around…but no, they must have thought you dead and continued on their task. It's a good thing we found you when we did, a group of Gururumon were sniffing around you and would've most assuredly eaten you if we hadn't intervened…"

"See," Taku pointed at Matadormon, "I told you, this guy was cool, he saved our lives," Taku took a sip from a goblet on the table, the liquid tasted like tangy grape juice. Taku looked up at DemiDevimon, "Don't be so skeptical, you know DORUmon, Agumon and Renamon would've loved to leave you behind…" said Taku as he ate. "Guilmon would probably followed suit…the idiot can't think on his own…"

DemiDevimon narrowed his eyes and nodded, "You're right…they never did accept me…or us!"

The silken clothed digimon smiled and inclined his head and turned to leave.

"Hey, I'm sorry, we never thanked you," said Taku as he looked up from his plate. The digimon stopped and turned. "Thanks for pulling our fat out of the fire and feeding us and giving us a room and stuff…you're the best, Matadormon…"

"Think nothing of it, Yoshida-san," replied the digimon quietly, "You may, one day, do something for me…"

"Sure, anything, Matadormon," smiled Taku happily.

Matadormon inclined his head and turned, "Feel free to eat and drink to your hearts' content…If you need anything I'm sure one of the servants will be more than happy to get it for you. Have a nice night, Yoshida-san and DemiDevimon-san, sleep well, and enjoy your stay here…"

The digimon disappeared into the hallway. Taku looked up at DemiDevimon and smiled. The bat digimon smiled back.

"I think I could really like it here," Taku said quietly, "finally someone who doesn't hate my guts…"

"Yeah…" smiled DemiDevimon, "And all the food we can eat, that's like a double bonus!"

Taku laughed and nodded, "Yes, it is, heck it could even be a triple bonus…"

**888**

**AN: 1: I may be going slower the next couple of weeks; I have midterms and a paper so I'll be busy. 2: Yes, the Mamemon gang, I bet you were all thinking I'd pull out Antylamon and his Turuiemon gang…but nope… (and yes they are the same group of digimon that is in the World Tour…well except Tekkamon…but I have a plan for him). 3: And Kyuubimon is just being obvious now… 5: Didn't really like the chapter title, not the most inventive…I think this is the first time Taku's laughed and it's not been at someone else's expense and not because he's said something snide to the enemy…I'd have to double check…And yes I've returned to using the title suffixes…I leaned away from using them because they can alienate….but I decided this needed a little umph to the ideas going on…**

**chan: used when talking to a youngster…to close friends or (I think) derogatorily to someone of lower class…**

**sama: master, lord…what have you**

**san: General catch all, for those somewhat higher (socially) to you, equal to you or new to you, mainly conveys general respect. **

**There are others but I won't use those now…**

**I don't know the first half of this chapter I seemed to have had dumb fingers…thankfully the scene of the Mamemon in the bar was supposed to have misspells and screw ups of grammar…and Ren was in a good mood…for the most part. At least she wasn't 'bratty' she was justified both times for being…a little irritated. And DEPUTYMON AND STARMON! I couldn't have a train robbery story without our Old West law enforcers! And they kicked bum this time! (Even if they are just working for the train company as security guards…hey they had to be promoted from somewhere!) Oh and the last thing, Cyberdramon in this story is basically the same as the other Cyberdramon except she's less bulky, more thin, and lithe, with wider wings and well a metallic bit of armor to cover her…well…she is feminine after all… **

**Blue: Jeesh you're going to hog the spotlight this chapter… (I'm kidding that's fine) I like Renamon I guess. I really never thought of it. I like Renamon because she's very human. She's tough and she has that air to her that makes you feel safe even in the worst situations. She's a stable rock. Not only that but she's very, mobile and has all these nifty almost secret powers. She's not my favorite per se that would have to be Lucemon if only because I can make him be crueler. I guess story-wise she's very fun to write for because unlike the other digimon, who are relatively naïve and are easily appeased when their partners are jerks, she has a mature personality and she feels pain and causes drama because of it. This of course can make her a pain to write for because she tends to need a reason for her actions compared to some of the sillier partners (Guilmon, Agumon). She's more likely to be hurt (emotionally) and less likely to show it…and overall she's naturally quiet, so it's not always obvious that I forget about her when the digi-destined are having a think tank… **

**As to Matadormon, he's an undead, Ultimate digimon that is into flowing silk (almost kabuki like) dress. He's new, released this summer, I think, with a group of other digimon like Volcdramon, Tankdramon and Metallife Kuwagamon. (There have been even more releases this Fall that have started to fill out the Olympian Gods (Mercurimon Not to be confused with Mercuremon, Neptunmon, Valdurmon, Minervamon, Spinomon)…and Royal Knights (Sleipmon). Matadormon's profile isn't one hundred percent complete, due to mistranscriptions and such, but I am going by Matadormon (because I like it better) rather than Matadarumon, and I think I will use the attack translation of Butterfly Trumpet Kick rather than the direct romanji-ization of ****Chouzetsu Rappashuu**** for simplicity's sake. You can find his picture and stuff here… http/www (dot) thedigiport (dot) com (slash) dex-masterlist (dot) shtml **

**Alforce: I guess you'll just have to see…and I fixed my mistakes, you caught me! None of Matadormon's friends should be strangers if that alleviates your mind any. **

**Dark: Thanks.**

**Gosh I rambled on…I apologize…**


	27. Behind the Shadows

**I don't own digimon**

**Behind the Shadows**

**888**

Taku walked down the stairs. DemiDevimon was sitting on his head. The morning had been slightly chilly but now it was relatively warm. The only sounds in the stairwell were the sounds of his tennis shoes moving over the masonry of the steps. It was something he had gotten used to here, during his five days at Matadormon's palace. A large percentage of the digimon that worked in the castle were either gone or asleep during the day time.

It was kind of like home for Taku. His parents worked and his brother was gone for most of the day. It was those times he was always happiest. The times he could sit in his home in the dark, alone, no one to bother him or annoy him. No one like Haru, or his brother, no one who thought he was stupid or immature, or thought he was just a freak. Taku narrowed his eyes as he remembered that day, the day his brother told him.

_888_

"_Now what are you doing, brat?" snorted a taller boy. His hair was softer colored and he wore a pair of glassed over his eyes. His school jacket hung on his frame and his school uniform fit perfectly. _

"_I'm playing," retorted Taku loudly. "What's it to you, Katsuo?" _

"_I thought mom and dad told you to clean your room," retorted the older boy. _

"_I asked mom and she said its fine the way it is!" Taku replied haughtily._

"_Figures…" returned the older boy. "Feh, they wouldn't make their special boy do anything." _

"_What do you mean?" Taku glared at the older boy._

"_Heh, you're not like me, you're different, mom and dad made you in a test tube," The older boy said as he pointed at Taku. "And then they had Aunt Sachiko carry you around in her belly until you were born…"_

"_I don't…understand…" Taku tilted his head slightly, "How did Aunt Sachiko…carry me…around in her belly?"_

"_Feh, you'd think a freak like you would know," snorted Katsuo. The older boy glared down, "Well, you see, they took you out of your little test tube and then implanted you into Aunt Sachiko…kind of like those aliens in the movies that shoot out of people's guts, yeah that's you in a nutshell, a gut alien…"_

"_AM not!" shouted Taku loudly. "I'm gonna tell mom!" _

"_Go ahead…" Katsuo replied casually, "I don't care; the truth's the truth…It's not like it matters. Little freaks, like you, won't ever make anything of themselves; they're just big failures from the start…"_

_888_

He did go tell his mom and his dad. They took a while to explain it, more than likely too surprised to speak. Taku closed his eyes. They told him all about how sometimes 'mommies and daddies' want to have a baby but can't so they have a baby made in a doctor's office with the father's contribution and the mother's contribution. They even told him that since his mother had trouble giving birth to his older brother, Katsuo, that she couldn't carry a baby in her belly like other mothers. Taku bit his lip. So, his Aunt Sachiko promised to carry him; she promised to be a surrogate mother.

Taku clenched his fists. He whispered quietly under his breath. "It's Katsuo's fault…that I'm a freak…that I'm a freak that not even my mother could bear to carry…"

He stopped. He had a nagging feeling he was being watched. Taku turned quickly and glared at the shadows. He sighed as he saw the shadows were adequately empty.

"What's wrong Taku?" yawned DemiDevimon as he looked around.

"Nothing…" Taku replied quietly, "Just feels like we're being watched…"

"No one's there…so let's get to the kitchen, I'm hungry," DemiDevimon said as he hopped off of Taku's head and glided down a couple of steps.

"Ok," Taku smiled and ran down to where DemiDevimon was. "How about some bacon…and eggs…?"

"That sounds yummy!" DemiDevimon sniggered.

"Yummy?" Taku quirked an eyebrow, "Please don't tell that being here is going to turn you into a cute digimon…"

"Cute?" DemiDevimon protested, "I'll show you cute!" DemiDevimon growled and tackled Taku.

"No fair!" shouted Taku as he fell backward laughing. The bat started tickling the boy, "Tickling doesn't count!"

"Yuh huh!" sniped DemiDevimon loudly as he tickled.

"Fine, then!" retorted Taku as he retaliated.

"Hey! That's not fair!" shouted DemiDevimon as he started to giggle.

"Say it!" laughed Taku as he tickled.

"No! Don't make me..." DemiDevimon giggled and whimpered as he struggled to get free.

"Say it, or no breakfast!" Taku laughed as tickled the bat.

"Uncle! Uncle! OH, PLEASE UNCLE!" DemiDevimon yelped and gasped. Taku giggled and relented picking the bat up.

"Ok…ok," Taku sighed as he put DemiDevimon on his head. "Let's go get some breakfast."

"Finally," snorted DemiDevimon playfully. Taku smiled and continued down the stairs.

A pair of two blue eyes appeared in the shadows. "I don't understand…"

A pair of golden eyes appeared behind the blue eyes, "You will, Kyuubimon. Today we'll start."

"Start?" the blue eyes looked up at the golden ones.

"Yes, we have to train them," replied the golden eyes. "They're going to be an important part of my takeover of the Order…"

"How?" asked Kyuubimon quietly.

"Let's just say, we're going to turn the tables on some prophecies," replied the golden eyes quietly. "Get ready, Kyuubimon, I will ask you to be their watcher."

"Of course, my lord," Kyuubimon's eyes shifted and disappeared. The golden eyes closed and the shadows were empty.

888

"I don't understand, Kyuubimon," Taku called as he and ExVeemon glided after the fox. "Where are we going?"

"Lord Matadormon has asked we go to this valley," called an annoyed Kyuubimon as the fox glided forward. There was a village in the valley, but it was several kilometers beyond the entrance. Kyuubimon hovered in front of a cave. "There was a digimon here that murdered a group of his servants…"

"So we're going to do what?" Taku asked quietly.

"You're going to get some recompense out of the digimon," replied Kyuubimon as he turned to the cave. "Metal Tyranomon! Get your fat butt out here! Lord Matadormon has come for his payment of your flesh!"

"I will not be paying anything," growled a loud voice. A large gray tyrannosaur with an ensemble of metal accentuations and wires stomped out of the cave. "That worm is too much of a coward!"

"Hey!" Taku shouted as he and ExVeemon glided in front of the giant tyrannosaur. "You wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't screwed around with Matadormon in the first place!"

"What idiot is this?" growled Metal Tyranomon as he looked at ExVeemon and Taku.

"I'm not an idiot!" Taku growled loudly. "You were the one that hurt Matadormon's messengers! We're here for a little payback!"

"Fine, if you want an apology, you can tell Matadormon, this," Metal Tyranomon lifted a metallic arm. "Nuclear Laser!"

A streak of yellow energy smashed into ExVeemon, sending the gray digimon and his partner flying backward in head over heels spiral. Metal Tyranomon then slid down the side of the canyon after ExVeemon. The dinosaur roared as he stomped and opened his mouth. A blast of flame fired down at ExVeemon. The dragon rolled out of the way pulling Taku with him.

"Taku, stay out of the way," ExVeemon growled as he stood up. "I'll deal with this brute!" ExVeemon opened his wings and took flight.

"Your wings won't save you, dragon," growled Metal Tyranomon as he fired bolts of yellow lasers.

ExVeemon slipped between the bursts of energy and then crossed his arms over his chest. "V Laser!" A cross of energy smashed into Metal Tyranomon's metal jaw. "How'd you like that, ugly!"

"Fire Blast II!" A blast of flames roared around ExVeemon.

The dragon groaned as he tumbled to the ground. Smoke rose off of the dragon's burnt skin. Metal Tyranomon swept around smashing his thick tail into ExVeemon and crushing him against the wall of the valley.

The dragon staggered from the impression he made in the rock and then fell to his knees. Metal Tyranomon growled and lifted his foot and stomped on ExVeemon.

"KYUUBIMON! GET YOUR FURRY BUTT DOWN HERE AND HELP!" shouted Taku loudly as he glared at the silver fox that was hovering above the fight.

"Sorry, that's not what I'm here for," snorted Kyuubimon. "Lord Matadormon wants you to do this on your own…"

"WHAT?" Taku shouted loudly. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Training," Kyuubimon smirked quietly, "This was how I was trained, and now I am as powerful as most Ultimate digimon…and when I digivolve I will have near infinite power!"

"So what's the point of training us if it kills us?" Taku shouted as he glared up at Kyuubimon. ExVeemon was tossed against another wall. The dragon whimpered as he was picked up by Metal Tyranomon.

"Weak scum," growled Metal Tyranomon. The gray tyrannosaur tossed ExVeemon to the ground again.

"I guess I was right," Kyuubimon said as he looked at the beaten body of ExVeemon. "You weren't up to snuff…Matadormon will be most disappointed in you."

Taku looked at ExVeemon. The dragon was slowly rising up on his hands and feet. The wings of the dragon were weighed down and bent. Streams of crimson data flowed down the dragon's arms.

"ExVeemon, hurry!" Taku shouted as he watched Metal Tyranomon lifted his metallic arm. The jewel in the palm of the tyrannosaur's metallic hand glowed brightly.

"I…don't…have the strength …Taku…" ExVeemon groaned as he collapsed on the ground.

"Please…Kyuubimon!" Taku shouted as he looked up at the fox.

"I'm not like Lord Matadormon; my compassion doesn't run too deep for the unproven…" the fox replied. The fox started to retreat upward. "Don't worry, I'm sure Lord Matadormon will not mind if you fail…"

Taku spun around and looked at ExVeemon. Metal Tyranomon chuckled as the energy in his palm grew. The dragon was barely able to lift his hand.

"ExVeemon!" Taku ran to the dragon. He skidded in front of dragon and glared up at Metal Tyranomon. "Don't you dare!"

"Or what, your puny little body will get its fleshy bits on me?" growled Metal Tyranomon. "You're a servant of Matadormon! Matadormon is a slug, scum that doesn't deserve the rock he's under."

"Don't speak like that…" growled Taku quietly. He looked at Metal Tyranomon, "He saved me from death! He let me live in his house and eat his food! He asked us to do this for him, to get his apology, to get his vengeance on you for murdering his men…I'm not going to turn and run now! I'm not going to let him down! I'm not going to go back on my promise! I don't care if I have to sacrifice myself and ExVeemon…"

Kyuubimon's eyes shot down at the child. "This is…new…" A black aura surrounded the child, emanating from the tag and crest hanging around his neck.

"Taku…" ExVeemon whimpered quietly. "Don't…do it…"

"Fool, you're even more stupid than I thought," growled Metal Tyranomon as he glared down at the child. "Only idiots believe Matadormon. He's scum! Just like your worthless digimon…useless, weak, idiotic fools. You're nothing, just scrap…and you'll never amount to anything."

Taku gritted his teeth. His black eyes shimmered. "Bastard…"

"Oh, did I make you mad? You little human freak! You don't belong in this world!" chuckled Metal Tyranomon. "You're nothing, and you'll never get anywhere! Weakling freaks don't deserve to exist…even your digimon knows your no use to anyone…just a useless freak."

"I…" Taku clenched his fists angrily, "…hate…." His voice became nothing more than a whispering growl, "…bastards…like you…" Taku glared up at Metal Tyranomon. His eyes were like pitch black storm clouds. "I want you to die! I'm going to make sure you are killed!" Taku growled as he glared up at Metal Tyranomon. The metal enhanced dinosaur staggered back by the force of the child's stare. Taku clenched his fists tighter until little trickles of blood dripped on his palms, "DIE!"

Suddenly the sky went black. The canyon was bathed in darkness. It was like a nuclear bomb had been set off; only instead of a bright flash it was the most intense, impenetrable darkness that could be described.

Not even Kyuubimon could see through the pitch. The fox shuddered quietly as the darkness continued to grow. The air turned frigid and hot at the same time. The kitsune was, possibly for the first time, truly frightened that his life may end. He'd faced monsters and demons and beasts more powerful than Metal Tyranomon but the human boy had power that terrified the fox more than any of those combined.

"Prepare for your end…Metal Tyranomon, you are lucky we're in a merciful mood…" said a deep voice that seemed to emanate from the total darkness.

"No…who's there? What's going on?" whimpered Metal Tyranomon loudly.

"It doesn't matter, you won't be alive much longer…" replied the voice. "Ebony Blade!"

Metal Tyranomon's voice screeched in pain and terror. Kyuubimon was circling around in the darkness trying to figure out which way was up and which was down.

"Please…" whimpered Metal Tyranomon's voice.

"I guess I only got your arm…" said the voice. "Don't worry, next time I'll be more thorough…Ebony Blade!"

There was a gurgling roar and then silence, total and complete silence. Kyuubimon looked around in the darkness and the silence. The darkness then condensed to a small point, returning light to the world. The darkness dissipated into the air revealing Taku and DemiDevimon lying on the ground.

"Interesting…" Kyuubimon hovered to the ground and looked at the boy. The dark aura surrounding him wasn't shrinking; it was like it was sleeping.

"Did…did I get him?" Taku whimpered as he looked up.

"Yes, Yoshida-sama, you 'got him'," replied Kyuubimon quietly. The fox looked around and saw the gaping wounds in the canyon walls. He looked down into the valley. The village was in rubble. "You got most of the valley.

"You…just…with…" Taku looked up at the fox. Taku looked in the direction Kyuubimon was peering. "Did…I do that, all those digimon…"

"Do not worry about them, I am sure they are ok, they will probably applaud you, Metal Tyranomon was a tyrant," Kyuubimon replied quietly. The fox walked up to Taku and leaned down. "Gather up DemiDevimon. I should get you back to Lord Matadormon."

Taku looked down at DemiDevimon. "Is he ok?"

"He's fine, just exhausted," Kyuubimon replied, "Don't worry, as the training progresses his resilience will increase."

Taku nodded as he gently picked up the spherical bat and cradled it in his arms. Taku then climbed on Kyuubimon's back. The fox grunted a little and then leapt into the air, gliding away.

888

Gennai took the box containing the Dark Digimental and then looked at the children. "You're one short…"

"Well, we lost Taku; he got captured by Matadormon," Haru stated quietly. "That's why this has to be fast."

"I tried to stop it, but I failed," sighed Piximon quietly as the fairy digimon hovered in the air next to Gennai.

"I'm sorry, kids," Gennai sighed, "I have to have you come to the Order's headquarters."

"No, we don't have time, Gennai," Kisho retorted as he glared at the man in the beige robes. "You don't understand!"

"No…you're the one that doesn't understand," Gennai replied stoically, "We miscalculated when we gave you your tags and crests…"

"What do you mean? They've been working fine," Ren said as she looked at the man.

"For you and for now…" Gennai replied quietly, "but as time goes by the tags and crests will be corrupted by their own power, they need a counter balance of sorts…to nullify the contamination."

"We don't have time for this!" Kisho shouted as he clenched his fist. "Taku is in danger now!"

"We have to do something to help; he's one of us," Haru nodded in agreement.

A sickly blue and lavender glow fired from the two children's crests.

"Dorimon digivolve to, DORUmon…" The little purple puff ball that had been standing next to Kisho grew into a larger kangaroo fox.

"Gigimon digivolve to Guilmon!" The red and black ball of life glowed and turned into a black and red dragon.

Gennai looked down at the two digimon.

"I don't feel so good…" murmured Guilmon as he held his stomach.

"Neither do I…it feels like someone has made us drink sour milk," whimpered DORUmon as he held his stomach.

"See what I mean…?" Gennai whispered. "It's the crests…they're turning your digital matrices inside out…with each digivolution that use the crests, whether it be accidental or not…your data will get a little more scrambled…soon you'll be so corrupted that you will become mere shadows or undead versions of yourself…now we can remedy that, but we must have you come back to the head quarters."

Kisho clenched his fists and then looked at DORUmon. The kangaroo fox digimon whimpered and held his tummy. "It hurts…Kisho…"

"Gennai, lead us," Kisho looked up at the man. The man smiled quietly. Kisho narrowed his eyes. "Well, let's get on with it!"

"Ok," whispered Gennai as he lifted a device. There was a flash of rainbow-like light and then they were standing on a landing pad.

"WHAT HAPPENED; WHERE ARE WE; HOW'D WE GET HERE!" Ren screamed as she looked around frantically.

"Settle down, he just used a teleporter thingy…" Haru crossed his arms.

"I was hoping to surprise you just a little," pouted Gennai.

"Well, I guess it's the only thing that makes sense," said Haru as he looked at the man. "We were there and now we're here…"

"Not now, we need these counterweights or whatever they are, we have to get to Taku," Kisho growled loudly.

"Gennai!" shouted the voice of a woman. A lady ran onto the landing pad. "We have an emergency…"

"What kind of emergency?" whispered Gennai.

"The kind you need to see…" returned the woman.

"Right, let's go," Gennai said as he ran after the woman.

The children ran after Gennai and the woman as they entered the fortress. They ran down white halls. Their feet clapped over mason work floors. Gennai and the woman pushed through a pair of large metal doors. Computers and monitors surrounded the inner area of the room.

"What's the matter?" Gennai shouted.

"That…" said a man in beige, the man had blonde hair and hazel eyes. He pointed up at a large screen that showed grid map. It cycled and a large plume of black covered the map and then shrunk back to nothing in a matter of five minutes.

"Umm…what was that?" said Kisho as he looked at the white backdrop.

"An explosion, an area of 27 sectors was consumed by some sort of dark blast. It encompassed the Tyranomon Valley," said the man in exasperation as he typed. The map zoomed in smoothly until mountains and streams could be seen. It continued to zoom in tighter and tighter and finally.

"There," said the man as a black dot appeared on the map.

"A town?" Ren quirked and eyebrow.

"Not anymore…" said the woman. "Something erupted about fifteen minutes ago. There's nothing left…the valley was hit by some force and it was mostly leveled."

"What was it?" whispered Jiro as he looked up at the screen.

"We're not sure, but we have a guess," The woman looked at Gennai, "We had a crest activation…"

"And?" Gennai whispered.

"It blew out the monitor…" replied the woman. "It was the Crest of Darkness…I can only say this, 'the crests were never tested to withstand a burst of that magnitude…"

"This isn't good…" whispered Piximon as he buzzed around, "The child is being corrupted…"

"It's Taku?" Kisho looked up at the screen. "We have to go there!"

"No…" Gennai said sternly as he glared at Piximon, "Whatever happened there is beyond our control; we have to wait for more information! Don't worry; I'm going to send you to the Tyranomon Valley, to see if you can't figure out exactly what happened."

"NO!" Kisho grabbed Gennai by his robes, "WE NEED TO GET TAKU BACK!"

Kisho's tag and crest snapped with energy. The boy looked down as the pendant glowed sickly. Piximon looked at the ugly color in worry.

"Gennai…what's wrong with the tags and crests?" Piximon asked as he watched the crest wash itself in its own putrid colored light.

"Guilt…trying to fix things?" Gennai whispered to Kisho. The boy glared up at the man in silence. Gennai shook his head. "Even if you went, you couldn't help…"

"I don't care!" Kisho growled. "He's in trouble! We need to do something!"

Gennai looked up at the screen. "You don't understand; Matadormon isn't like Volcamon or Baronmon, or any of the other enemies you faced here. You can't just blast your way past him. If you try; he'll destroy you."

"More the reason why Taku needs our help!" Kisho shouted. He glared at Gennai. "We're going, that's the end of this conversation!"

The boy's head shot to the right as the back of Gennai's hand swiped across the boy's face. Kisho fell to the floor and looked up in shock at the man. Piximon and the other digi-destined winced as Kisho skid on the masonry.

"You needed that," growled the man as he rubbed his hand. "You were getting hysterical."

"I-I…I'm sorry," Kisho whispered as he touched his cheek.

"Now's not the time, let's get downstairs I need to show you something," whispered Gennai.

888

"What are…they?" Haru looked down at the table. Five pendants were lying on the surface.

"Your tags and crests…" said Gennai quietly.

"Wait, I thought…" Haru looked down at the pendant around his neck.

"Those are, too," Gennai smiled, "I never did tell you what the tags and crests are…did I?"

"No," the children replied as they looked up at the man.

"The tags and crests are made of very rare materials, produced in the infantile phases of the Digital World," replied Gennai quietly as he lifted the tags up. "They are made from the left over spiritual energy made by the Founders when they were living in the physical realm. As such they are very in tune with spiritual energy. Each tag and crest represents one of the Founders." Gennai lifted the tag and crest on the far right. It had an orange sun emblazed on it. "Dokyou's power is most in tune with those that harbor courage in their hearts…" Gennai hung the crest around Kisho's neck, "and he works closest with Kouyou whose power is best exemplified in Friendship..."

Kisho looked down at the two tags and crests that hung around his neck. Gennai turned to Haru. Gennai lifted the next tag and crest off of the table it had two circles, one was larger than the other but the larger one had a little strip connecting it to the smaller as if feeding it. "This crest is the embodiment of Chishiki was the master thinker and the most knowledgeable of the Founders and he worked most best with Shunin the most honest and reliable of the Founders." Haru looked up as Gennai hung the new tag and crest over the old.

"Then, I hold the powers of Chishiki and Shunin?" Haru asked quietly.

Gennai nodded quietly. "The powers of Knowledge and Reliability reside in you." He looked up at Ren. The girl looked up and watched as Gennai lifted third tag and crest; it had a heart engraved on it, "This is the embodiment of Ravou of Love…she works best with…" Gennai walked over and hung the crest around the girl's neck, "…Tonkou, of Sincerity." Gennai turned against and lifted the second to last tag and crest, the crest had a comet cut on it, "This is the embodiment of Yuubou of Hope; his power is best complimented with the powers of Hikari, the Founder of Light."

"The powers of Light and Hope…" Jiro gulped quietly as Gennai put the second tag and crest around Jiro's neck. "That's why…that's what Kougen was talking about…then that means…"

"Yes…Taku holds the Crest of Darkness, the embodiment of Kurayami, before he was overcome by anger," Gennai looked at the others sadly, "Kurayami's power is the easiest to corrupt, it has to be tempered, and only one figure could ever truly contain Kurayami's rage…" Gennai picked up the last tag and crest. It looked like it was engraved with a flower of some sort. "Kankou of Kindness, only compassion and caring can blunt the sword of Kurayami, without it your friend could become very dangerous. Kurayami and Hikari were equals, and their powers were equivalent to the other Founders combined. Any force that gets the powers of either Kurayami or Hikari on their side will be quite formidable."

"That's what he meant by Chalice of Light…" Jiro looked at the Crest of Light with its star-like carving.

"Yep, Yep," nodded Piximon as he hovered behind the child. The pink digimon had followed the digi-destined into the crest chamber.

"Then we have to get Taku back," Haru replied as he looked at Gennai. "If Taku's crest is going off then that means it's already started and if he's allowed to continue…"

"Yes, I know, but if it has started, then the crest activation will get easier, if you confront him…" Gennai breathed quietly.

"Don't even say it…" Kisho growled under his breath. "He's our friend!"

"You say he is, and you think he is," Haru returned. The blonde's eyes looked into Kisho's. "But does that mean he is?"

"Shut it, Haru," Kisho snapped back. "I'm going to find him and get him back to safety!"

"No," Gennai grabbed the boy's hand. "No, you won't. You're going to go find out how far his power is progressing; you're going to the Tyranomon Valley. Then we'll formulate a plan to get Taku back."

Kisho scowled and pulled himself away from Gennai, "Fine! But I don't like it!"

"You don't have to like it," said Piximon quietly, "Gennai's right, you can't just go blasting in, especially if the Child of Darkness has gone against…"

"Don't say it…" Kisho glared at the pink fairy, "He's not like that, he wouldn't betray us…" Kisho looked down and clenched his fists. "I know he won't…"

"Kisho…" Ren looked up at him. "Don't worry…I bet Taku's crest activated because he was getting free and he kicked major butt. I mean…he's one of us isn't he?"

"We may know that…" snorted Kisho as he walked away, "but I don't think we let him know it very well…"

"I will have an Airdramon lift you there," called Gennai loudly as he turned and pushed an intercom button.

Piximon hovered forward and looked at Gennai, "The explosion, it wasn't good was it?"

"No…not at all," Gennai replied as he turned to a speaker, "Yes, could you ask one of our allied Airdramon to come to the landing pad and take the digi-destined to the areas surrounding Tyranomon Valley…" There was an affirmative sound on the other end and Gennai turned back to Piximon. "Matadormon has Taku under his power, somehow. There is nothing that can be done to stop the crest's progression, as long as Taku is under his power. I can only hope they can make Taku see the truth and break him free of whatever witchcraft Taku's under, or else all will be lost…"

"Should I do something?" asked Piximon as he hovered in the crest room.

"Yes, I wish for you to get our friends, we have to be ready to defend ourselves," Gennai sighed quietly, "with Taku seemingly under Matadormon's; I don't doubt he will try to mount an attack soon. We'll need all the strength we can…"

"I shall call the Devas immediately," Piximon said quietly as he started to leave, "and anyone I run into on the way there…yep, yep!"

888

"MATADORMON!" Taku stomped through the garden and up to the thin, pink and red digimon. Matadormon was kneeling in front of a shrub. His long claws were clipping at the branches. The digimon turned slowly to the black haired boy. "You…could've told us we were going to be trained!"

"That would've given you time to prepare…" replied Matadormon quietly. "One must learn to fight impromptu."

"We nearly got killed out there!" growled Taku loudly. He glared at the ground and tears filled his eyes. "How…could you do that! Don't you like us?"

"Of course I like you, Yoshida-san!" Matadormon turned and looked up at the boy and saw small tears falling to the ground. The digimon sighed sympathetically. "I apologize; I shouldn't have done that, Yoshida-san," Matadormon whispered as he looked at the black haired boy. "I'm very sorry for putting you in such danger, if I had known it was that dangerous I wouldn't have sent just Kyuubimon with you; I would've gone myself."

Taku lifted his head and looked at the digimon in the eyes. "You're sorry?"

"Of course, Yoshida-san, you could've been severely injured, and as it is DemiDevimon has been pushed to his limits," replied Matadormon quietly, "but we did prove something."

"Proved something?" Taku tilted his head slightly.

"Yes, you are far more powerful than we ever thought you were," whispered Matadormon as he stood. He put a bladed hand on Taku's shoulder. "You have exceeded our wildest dreams…you're quite the prodigy, I'm impressed by you."

"I…am?" Taku gaped as he looked up at Matadormon. He blinked and blushed slightly, "You…are impressed with me?"

"Yes, you are," smiled the digimon quietly, "A very, very special boy, you'll really go places here…I'm indeed most impressed; you even outdid Kyuubimon on your first try…most spectacular…"

"I will…?" Taku smiled up at the digimon dressed in silken, flowing clothes. Taku smiled a quirky grin, "I did better than Kyuubimon…really?"

"Yes, but you still have hard work ahead," nodded Matadormon as he started to walk. Taku followed him. "I've several enemies that I need to have…removed. They could prove most useful for your training."

"You want me to become your assassin?" Taku looked at Matadormon with a quirked eyebrow, "I…don't know…I still feel kind of weird about what happened today…"

"Yoshida-san, these digimon want me to die," Matadormon whispered quietly. "They want to hurt me and leave me for dead…not unlike…"

Taku narrowed his eyes, "Yeah…like them…"

"Won't you help me?" Matadormon whispered as he walked, "I could really use your help, Yoshida-san. Please, Yoshida-san, I'm very afraid that they will move against me…"

"Are you sure you want me to?" Taku asked as he ran along side the digimon. "I mean, there must be better trained digimon that would be more efficient…"

"Yes, there are, but they lack two things you have…" Matadormon said smoothly.

"What?" Taku asked in shock.

"Raw power," Matadormon lifted one razor like finger. A second finger lifted, "and my trust. I believe in you Yoshida-san. I have trust in you, Taku."

Taku blushed brightly and smiled stupidly. "Thank you, Lord Matadormon. No one's ever really said that before…"

Matadormon smiled quietly and patted his head, "I understand how you feel, Taku. I'm glad that I have met you; you're indeed a most interesting and special child. I'm honored that you wish to be acquainted with me," Matadormon smiled happily as the boy looked at him with adoration. Matadormon rubbed the boy's back gently and then patted it. "Now, you better go check on DemiDevimon, he's probably awake now and worried about you."

"Ok, Lord Matadormon," Taku nodded, bowed slightly and ran back toward the castle.

Matadormon smiled quietly as the boy around the corner of a hedge. Matadormon turned back and returned to the shrub he was pruning.

"You aren't worried that he's too powerful?" asked a voice quietly.

"No, because he's firmly within my grasp," whispered Matadormon.

He looked up to a lanky, white armored devil. Black jeans covered the digimon's long, thin legs. His head and face was covered in a golden mask, complete with two, long, steer-like horns. The demon looked down at Matadormon from the top of a hedge.

"How can you say that, you give him free range?" asked the devil as he leapt down from the hedge, opening a pair of tattered, red wings to keep his balance.

"There is a plant, called the Venus flytrap, it must eat meat like an animal to survive, but it is quite ingenious…it doesn't chase its prey and bring then down by pounding the prey into submission, Neo Devimon," replied Matadormon quietly, "It lures the prey in with a sweet smell…and the fly comes right in without the plant having to make a move, and once within the plant, the fly gets trapped by the sticky digestive fluids…quite ingenious, isn't it."

"If you say so, Matadormon," sighed the devil quietly.

"Where are the other two?" asked Matadormon as he walked back to the hedge and started to snip.

"Where do you think?" snorted the devil, "I do wonder why you let them fraternize so much…"

"A happy group of nobility is a manageable one," replied Matadormon quietly as he snipped a branch that was sticking far out from the rest of the hedge. "Plus they are quite strong."

"Yes, the Yakuza and his harlot…" grumbled Neo Devimon as he crossed his lanky arms.

"And the over ambitious, synthetic demon," chuckled Matadormon as he snipped. "We are quite the group." Matadormon stopped trimming the hedge and looked back at Neo Devimon, "I do have something to ask of you though?"

"Yes?" Neo Devimon replied.

"I need you to give the boy a little high; I know you can do it," replied Matadormon quietly, "Something to reinforce my work."

"Of course," Neo Devimon nodded and disappeared. "I'll do it."

"Good," Matadormon stood up and picked up the clippings putting them in a basket. "Before long, he'll be twisted around my finger, and not even the Order will be able to hold us back."

**888**

**AN: This is fast, I know but it wouldn't leave me alone! A sub-arc is building…me thinks. Not quite sure how long it will be, it just recently changed in my mind, which is why this is the chapter is the stopping point, for now. I need to sort out my thoughts…**

**Flare: I think you meant 25…that's ok if you miss or don't review, I'm not a review whore, usually, though I do get a little worried when one or two chapters suddenly don't have any reviews from anyone at all, of any kind…**

**Qiviut: Yes, that's kind of frightening that the bad guy is treating Taku much more nicely than the other digi-destined had. I think I'd pity Taku too, he's getting mentally and emotionally raped and he doesn't even know it (I know I said rape, but it's the only word that really fits).**

**Blue: He's like you, when you were that age…and really Taku is that age abouts, 12-14ish…I'm not very good at ages, but Jiro's around TK's age (01), and Haru is about Yamato's age (01), as are the others. I just hope you never got into such a manipulative relationship that Taku is in now…This is where Matadormon kind of is different from the others…he's basically a nice guy…or at least he let's you think that…**

**Dark: I can guess what you're going to say! **


	28. The Door of Darkness

**I don't own digimon**

**The Door of Darkness **

**888**

"Damn it, too late again!" growled Kisho loudly as he looked down at the smoking ruins of a domed city. Airdramon put the children down on a hill overlooking the city.

"Just like Tyranomon Valley," Ren whispered quietly as he looked at the city. An explosion erupted on the far side of the city. "And the Village of Fire…"

"Yeah, look," Haru pointed to the large gashes in the earth and the walls of the city. "Just like when we got to the valley. Gash marks, like a large sword or claws had cut into the earth."

"What does it mean?" Jiro asked as he looked at the city.

"It means that whoever is getting the crest to activate did this," Kisho said quietly.

"I think we know, who did this," Haru said quietly.

"How do you know?" Kisho turned and looked at Haru angrily. "How do you know?"

"It's Taku's crest," Haru said quietly.

"That doesn't mean anything," Kisho shot back intensely. "How do we know that Matadormon hasn't found a way…?"

"You're grasping at straws; can't you see that, Kisho?" Haru glared at Kisho with his blue eyes.

"But Matadormon could have him under a spell!" Kisho shot back, "He may not know…"

"Kisho…" Ren looked up at the brunette. "I…really want to believe that he's under a power…but…something inside tells me…he's not…that he's doing this because he wants to."

"Don't say those things," Kisho spat down into the ground. "Don't say those things, Ren. This is why we lost him…this is why…"

"Kisho, you're grabbing onto something that's not true, he's doing this because he wants to!" Haru growled as he clenched his fists, "and if we don't find him and stop him, he'll destroy everything."

"How are we going to stop him?" Kisho looked up at Haru angrily. "We've been to Tyranomon Village and to The Village of Fire…and now we're here…"

"I know, we're going to have to stop him, somehow," Haru said as he looked into the brown eyes of Kisho, "even if it means beating him and DemiDevimon into a pulp."

"Brother…" Jiro looked up. The younger boy's blue eyes quivered slightly. "We'd have to fight him…?"

"If need be, if he won't listen…if he's intent on this path of destruction…" The older boy sighed as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. "This is bad."

"How…can I fight him…he's our friend…?" Kisho whispered quietly as he looked at the city. "How…?"

"I hope we don't have to," Jiro said quietly, the child's blonde hair fell over his eyes. "I really don't want to…but…this darkness…it's overbearing."

"Guys…I got some bad news," Ren looked up. She held up a small device that Gennai had given them after they'd returned to the Order's Headquarters to report in about the Tyranomon Valley. "One of the cities on the other side of the mountains is calling in an SOS…there's been a crest activation…."

"Airdramon…" Haru looked up at the green dragon. The dragon nodded and lowered down and the digi-destined and their digimon climbed on the dragon's back and took flight.

888

Kyuubimon grumbled quietly at the futile attempts of the guardians of the forest region. They were forcing him to be out in the sun. He wished that the human would hurry up or that the guardians would just give up. Their little city in the trees would soon be under Lord Matadormon's control, of this Kyuubimon was sure. The fox chuckled as a one of the guardians, a flowery fairy buzzed toward Taku and his digimon. A flower bud bloomed around her wrist. A green burst fell across Taku's digimon's shoulders. The digimon turned and Kyuubimon winced.

"Ebony Blade!" growled the digimon's voice. The flower fairy screamed in pain and disappeared in a blast of dark energy that swept through the forest toppling trees.

"Lillymon!" roared a large, humanoid phoenix. Large, rust-red wings condensed as a flaming apparition enveloped the phoenix's body. "Wing Blade!" A fiery bird screeched into the sky and then dove downward at Taku's digimon.

The thin lips of Taku's digimon slightly twitched upward in a self-confident smile. The flames roared around the digimon. "You call that a blade?" The digimon lifted a black energy blade, "That's not even a butter knife…"

"We are protectors of this realm, why have you come to destroy us?" growled the eagle man loudly.

"You aren't defenders, you're oppressors!" a human walked from behind the digimon. "You won't trick me…you're evil is over! Finish this…"

Taku's digimon nodded and sliced the energy blade in a cold arc, releasing a blast of dark energy. The humanoid bird looked down in shock as the arc shot towards it.

"Wing Blade!" another flaming apparition slammed against the dark energy.

"I think you'll have to take this one to the air," Taku said quietly as he watched the bird dive out of the way.

"Right," the digimon next to the black haired boy nodded and opened large, black wings. "Here I come!" The digimon shot into the air like a rocket. It drew its blade out.

"Phoenix Claw!" the bird's flaming claws flew forward, but Taku's digimon easily evaded it and swung its blade forward. The bird-man's eyes widened as the blade burned through the muscle and bones, through sinew and tendon.

"Like a steak knife through butter," growled the digimon as he swept the blade free of the bird-man. The guardian fell to the ground and disappeared in the foliage. The digimon retreated from the air and touched down next to the boy. A dark aura surrounded the digimon and he reverted to a round, bat like digimon.

"Man, you're getting stronger each time, DemiDevimon," Taku beamed as he looked at the bat digimon. The bat landed gently on the boy's head. "Lord Matadormon should be proud."

"Eh these guys weren't nearly as tough as those guys from last week, at that machine city," replied DemiDevimon. He yawned quietly.

"Yeah, but that was three on three," Taku replied as he put his finger on the edge of his chin, "What were their names…?"

"Megadramon, Gigadramon and Datamon," grumbled Kyuubimon as he approached the pair. "You're becoming more arrogant, child. It's not fitting a being of your stature."

"Hey, I don't see you kicking all of Lord Matadormon's enemies' butts!" Taku retorted with a growl.

"You are truly a fool; aren't you?" Kyuubimon replied with a snort. The fox turned and disappeared into the thin air, "I'm going back to the castle."

"Fine!" shouted Taku loudly.

888

"Finally the bodyguard is gone…" a very human face smirked; its visored eyes peered out from a set of higher trees. A pair of white fists clenched, "It's time to avenge Garudamon and Lillymon. I'll destroy them and stop Matadormon's super-weapon."

It rose up on its eagle-like legs, with red feathered thighs and yellow, taloned feet. The digimon took in a deep breath; gently expanding its armor covered pectoral muscles. It swept its white arms in a vertical circle in front of itself, drawing crimson energy into its hands. Its white furred body tensed making its stomach ripple slightly as the digimon held a sphere of angrily rotating red energy in its cupped hands. The digimon gripped the tree limb it was on with its hawk-like feet and holding its stance pushed forward.

"I, Silphymon, claim vengeance against Matadormon's evil weapon," growled the digimon as he pushed forward. "Static Force!" The crimson energy shot forward slightly arcing as the energy in it swirled. It curved slightly and then flew forward on a direct trajectory toward the human and his bat Rookie. "Die…"

888

"I did not!" shouted DemiDevimon loudly.

"Yuh huh," Taku insisted, "I saw you; you checked her out before you digivolved!"

"Well, it didn't matter, she said bad things about Lord Matadormon," grumbled DemiDevimon as he sighed and looked down, "why are all the pretty ones so unpleasant?"

"No clue…" Taku stopped and looked up. "Oh…crap…"

"Huh…?" DemiDevimon looked up. "Oh…crap…"

"Digivolve!" yelped Taku as he watched the crimson sphere flying towards him.

"No time!" yelped DemiDevimon loudly.

"Now what?" Taku yelped as the sphere grew larger in his eyes.

"Get out of the way!" DemiDevimon yelped.

"I…can't…move…" Taku gulped as he tried to move his legs. "I'm terrified…"

"Now's not the time!" DemiDevimon shouted. The bat flew in front of Taku. "Stay back!"

"You can't do it!" Taku gaped as he looked at the back of the bat.

"Don't worry, I'm supposed to pro…." DemiDevimon looked up dumbfounded as the crimson blast dispersed into four wisps of crimson breeze.

Seconds later a thin figure was standing in front of them. Flowing pink sleeves hung down as four long, razor-like claws were curled in a slashing motion. Silk, crimson pants flowed as their momentum set them rippling around the thin legs.

"Lord…Mata…dormon…" Taku and DemiDevimon gasped in shock.

"That was a little sloppy of you," returned Matadormon as he drew his hand back to his side and pointed with his other hand back to the forest. "You left one."

"I…we…didn't know…" Taku blinked as he looked up at Matadormon. The digimon turned. "Lord Matadormon…?"

"How dishonorable of you!" Matadormon shouted to the forest, "to attack a defenseless human and a Rookie digimon! Have you no shame, Silphymon, no dignity left?"

"One must fight dirty in order to fight scum like you, Matadormon!" shouted a voice back.

A single figure appeared out of the canopy of the forest. It was overly humanoid, save for a fluffy, hawkish tail and equally avian feet. Its muscular, white furred boy was slender. Its head was very human, save for the visor that covered its eyes and the feline-like ears.

"Don't talk about Lord Matadormon like that!" Taku shouted loudly. The boy clenched his fists. "You have no right to speak to him like that, coward!"

"Do you want me to deal with him?" growled DemiDevimon as Taku held up his digivice.

"No, if it's any difference to you, I'd rather do this on my own," whispered Matadormon as he looked up at Silphymon. "I wonder if you're as tough, face to face as you are behind one's back."

"I'll gladly take my vengeance out on you, directly, scumbag," growled Silphymon as he dropped down into a three pronged stance, pressing his clawed, right hand onto the ground and squatting down. "You'll finally be dealt with and peace can fall over this continent again…"

"There would be peace here, if little insurrectionists, like you, would just submit to my rule…" Matadormon replied as he slid his feet slightly, bending his knees. He drew his clawed hands up so that the long, razor-like fingers slid in front of the silk clad digimon's eyes. "Now, you said something about vengeance?"

Silphymon growled, exposing a pair of feline-like fangs. "You wanna fight, fine. I won't mind sending you back to the dust pan."

The cyborg digimon launched forward its claws raised up. Silphymon charged forward slicing his claws through Matadormon. Taku and DemiDevimon gasped in unison.

"Really, so direct?" Matadormon's voice asked as the visage of Taku's closest friend blurred and disappeared. Silphymon growled loudly as he spun around. Matadormon was standing gently behind Silphymon. His legs were tightly held together, almost crossed and his arms held over his chest in an unimpressed manner. "It makes me wonder if it was truly necessary to send a trainee to deal with you."

"Bastard," growled Silphymon as the cyborg hawk digimon shot forward.

The cyborg's claws flew forward, but his claws clanked loudly against a shield of blade fingers. Matadormon sighed quietly as he casually countered the cyborg's lightning fast claw slashes.

"How disappointing…" Matadormon said as he leapt into the air as Silphymon implanted his claws into the earth. The flowing dress of Matadormon wafted elegantly through the air with its master. The digimon dropped down a few centimeters in front of Silphymon, and sliced his foot in a tight arc crushing the sharp, bladed sandal into the side of Silphymon's head sending the cyborg rolling across the ground. "And here I thought I'd have to use one of my special attacks…"

Silphymon grunted as he got up to his feet. Matadormon looked at Silphymon as he gently twiddled his fingers; the light glinted off his metallic claws. The cyborg swept his claws in a circle.

"Take this!" growled Silphymon as he pushed a crimson swirl forward, "Static Force!"

The crimson energy shot toward Matadormon. The undead digimon sighed quietly and splayed his claws and swept them forward. The burst of red light disappeared. Matadormon put his hands at his sides.

"Is that it?" Matadormon asked calmly. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Wow…" Taku whispered quietly as he looked at Matadormon. "He's not even…stressed…"

Silphymon shot into the air. "I'll destroy you!"

"Yes, yes," sighed Matadormon quietly. He bent his knees slowly and then his lank form leapt after Silphymon. Matadormon took a jerky, zigzag flight as he matched Silphymon's height. "I can fly, too; you know?"

"Heh, you're in my expert area now," Silphymon crossed his muscular arms and disappeared in a flurry of movement. Matadormon hovered quietly, not moving. A white blur flashed and whipped around Matadormon.

"What's he doing?" DemiDevimon growled as he glared up at red and pink digimon. "He's going to get the crap beat out of him if he just sits there! Aerial combat is about weaving around and motion, it's about maneuverability! It's not about standing your ground and looking pretty!"

"Shh, he'll hear you, you don't want to piss him off do you?" growled Taku as he watched. Taku looked up and pointed, "Look!"

The white blur was buzzing toward Matadormon. The flowing, silk of Matadormon's dress shifted as the blur passed mere millimeters from Matadormon. The blur curled back and charged straight toward Taku's friend. Suddenly a swiping backhand from Matadormon sent Silphymon flying backward. Arcs of crimson fluid flew from the gashes that Matadormon's bladed fingers cut into Silphymon's chest and face. Silphymon crashed to the ground. Matadormon dropped down on Silphymon's chest, cracking the metallic armor that covered his chest. Matadormon leapt up twisting in the air and landed adeptly sliding his foot across the ground in a sharp arc.

"Woah…that's…amazing," Taku gasped as the silken sleeves of Matadormon's attire settled.

Silphymon crawled to his hands and knees. "You…won't…get away…"

"I'm tired of this," sighed Matadormon. Silphymon lunged forward launching a barrage of clawed slashes and kicks. Matadormon single handedly blocked the attacks with his claws. Suddenly the Silphymon punched forward and Matadormon responded by catching the fist. A second fist flew forward Matadormon snagged the other clawed fist, "Talons and claws, talons and claws, is that all you are? Talons and Claws?" Matadormon sent a knee into Silphymon's stomach and then pushed the digimon backward. Matadormon leapt into the air and dropped behind Silphymon's backward tumbling body, without turning to face the falling digimon. Matadormon lifted his arm and flexed his wrist down, so that his claws pointed backward, "Because, if you are, then you're not worthy to fight me."

Taku and DemiDevimon gasped loudly as Silphymon's backward tumble impaled the cyborg digimon on the clawed fingers of Matadormon. Silphymon's face contorted in pain and shock, his mouth shot open in a silent scream. Matadormon twisted his hand as he turned. Matadormon's claws poked out of Silphymon's upper stomach. Matadormon lifted his claws, sliding them through the flesh and then sliced laterally freeing his claws from the body. Silphymon dropped to his knees and then fell forward.

Taku looked at the digimon's body. A few seconds later Silphymon's form pulsed and exploded into dust. The boy looked up at Matadormon.

"You…you…totally crushed him," Taku looked up at the digimon in shock.

"Did you not think I could?" asked Matadormon quietly.

"No…it's not that," Taku said as he looked at the ground where a large crimson stain soaked into the dirt. "It's just…it was so…so…I mean you just trashed him like he was nothing."

"He was, in the end, not nearly as powerful as I believed," Matadormon said quietly as he started to walk away. "If I had known that, I'd have dealt with them myself."

"But…I mean, why were you worried?" Taku looked up at Matadormon quietly, "I mean they were supposed to be threatening your life, and he couldn't put a scratch on you…"

"There is more than one kind of threat to one's life than a purely physical threat…" Matadormon replied quietly. "They were threatening my life…I protect my vassals, and they give me tribute and tax in return…but these, so called, guardians don't like that, so they stage uprisings and resistances. They rob my tax collectors and coerce my vassals into running away. I can't have that…if I were to allow that to happen, then everything would fall into chaos and my life, would be done. Do you understand now?"

"I-I think so, you're just trying to keep people under control so they can be protected by you and so you can make things peaceful, right?" Taku looked up at the digimon for approval.

"Taku you are a very intelligent boy, I commend you on your reasoning skills," Matadormon replied, stopping. He turned and looked at the boy, "Let us go home, Taku, DemiDevimon. I don't know about you, but I could do for some tea, and a sandwich."

"Ok, Lord Matadormon," Taku and DemiDevimon smiled broadly. Taku ran along side Matadormon. The digimon put his arm on Taku's shoulder and they disappeared into the shadows.

888

"He's moving faster…" sighed Haru quietly as he looked down, "this time it's different, the village, isn't as badly damaged…"

"That's because the guardians fought him in the air," said a voice from behind them. The digi-destined turned and saw a small pink bird sitting in a tree behind the area Airdramon had let them down.

"So, the village was spared?" Ren sighed in relief.

"For the most part yes, but the guardians were all killed," the pink bird sighed quietly. "A lot of the villagers are leaving; it's just not worth it to stay if we're going to have to live under Matadormon…" The bird looked down and then snapped her head up, "Matadormon was here too! I saw him; he killed Silphymon and then took a human boy with him. The two of them looked pretty friendly…"

Haru and Ren looked at Kisho. The brunette only looked at the ground. His hands were loosely cupped at his side.

"Why?" Kisho hissed between his teeth. "Why, Taku…?"

"I'm sorry," the bird looked up at Kisho quietly.

"Biyomon," Renamon looked at the bird quietly, "When did they leave?"

"Only a few hours ago…but Matadormon has immense power; he appeared out of nowhere," Biyomon replied quietly, "He took the human and the DemiDevimon with him. They disappeared into the shadows."

"So, they can't be far?" Jiro looked up hopefully.

"No…" Agumon whispered. "They're gone…there's no use trying to follow them…"

"Why?" Ren shouted as she looked at the others, "Why are we not even trying?"

"Because, it's no use," Renamon replied. "Matadormon must come from a family of digimon not unlike my own. With the ability to warp space around them…it's quite possible he can teleport himself anywhere…"

"We have to stop him," Kisho whispered. "We have to find out why he's doing this, and then we need to get him to stop."

"Even to fight him?" Jiro looked up at Kisho quietly.

"If he…makes us defend ourselves, we'll have no choice," Kisho whispered quietly. "I need to know…why…"

888

"Why?" Kyuubimon frowned as he watched from a battlement. Taku and DemiDevimon were kneeling next to Matadormon. "I don't understand…" The two 'partners' were helping Matadormon prune grapevines. "Lord Matadormon never, ever came to any of my battles, he never fought for me…he never allowed me to help him with his garden…he never treated me with the favoritism he treats this…insignificant insect and his halfwit partner." The fox narrowed his cold, blue eyes, "Why?"

"Because, the child is in vogue…and you're yesterday's news," said a voice behind Kyuubimon. The fox narrowed his eyes. "Awe, is wittle puppy wuppy having pwoblems adjusting to not being the center of attention?"

"I at least have his attention," replied the fox quietly. "Unlike you."

"Insolent dog," growled the voice.

The fox turned quietly and looked at his visitor. Two hazel eyes glared at him. The eyes were a part of a veiled face, attached to a lynx-like head. Two large, triangular ears were flattened angrily against the digimon's head. Long, auburn hair fell from the digimon's head down its back, in tight braids. The digimon's body was voluptuous and curved gently in all the right spots. A bronze colored halter top covered the upper curves, but neglected to cover the toned midriff. Her legs were leopard furred with gold and black spotting. Lanky, black arms were crossed over the digimon's front and ended in long claws.

"I am not a dog," replied Kyuubimon calmly. "Are your eyes going as well, Bastemon?"

"Show me the proper respect!" growled the lynx-like woman.

"I'd call you Lady Bastemon…" Kyuubimon replied quietly as he turned back to the edge of the battlements and continued his survey of his master and the human, "but that would insult real ladies…and harlots have a hard enough time without you being lumped amongst them…" The woman growled loudly behind Kyuubimon, but the fox only sighed quietly, "after all, real harlots actually tempt their targets…where as you just fail to excite Lord Matadormon in anyway at all…"

"You're lucky!" growled the female loudly as she slowly flexed and extended her clawed fingers. "If Matadormon didn't value your life so much, I'd chop your head off…" The feline stopped and then smiled, "No, first I'd drain away your digivolution and then I'd chop your head off…."

"You're an insufferable fool, Bastemon…" snorted Kyuubimon quietly. The fox continued to watch Matadormon and the human. "Lord Matadormon doesn't value any life. I just have power that he wishes to control; any fool that thinks Matadormon can actually have feelings for anyone doesn't deserve their place amongst him."

"Pfft," Bastemon retorted quietly. "You're just jealous that Matadormon is more fascinated with that human than you…"

"I have nothing to be jealous of," Kyuubimon snorted as he walked from the edge of the battlements. "One day, I will have this world under my claws and the humans will be cowering in my shadow…"

"You'll have to go through Matadormon," Bastemon said as her green eyes looked back at the silver, nine-tailed fox. "Such a disloyalty…"

"Is nothing compared to that which you are trying to cook up," returned Kyuubimon as he turned his head back to Bastemon. The female's hazel eyes widened and then her ears flattened.

"How…I mean…What do you mean?" growled Bastemon loudly.

"You and…him aren't overly quiet," replied Kyuubimon quietly. "Really you should think about doing your things away from the castle, every digimon here can hear you…"

"How dare you eavesdrop on…?" Bastemon growled and clenched her fist.

"It's not eavesdropping if the door is open," replied the fox smugly. "You're attempting to get power by using your charms. It won't work…Neither Lord Baronmon nor NeoDevimon are interested in your kind of games. You're already planning a take over with the idiot."

"What are you going to do about it?" growled Bastemon loudly.

"Nothing, because I know it won't work," Kyuubimon whispered quietly. "Neither you nor him are powerful enough to take on the master and NeoDevimon. And if you did, it would just benefit me…because it would only put me in a better position to gain more power. Though, if you were to threaten me more realistically…I may be persuaded to tell my lord about your…indiscretions," Kyuubimon turned and started to walk away. The fox stopped and turned, "Maybe, one day, I'll let you call me master…"

"You damned mutt," growled Bastemon loudly. A stream of red energy flowed from her claws into a thin wire of energy. She flicked her wrist up and the wire lashed forward. The fox easily leapt away from the crimson stream.

"Heh, that's one thing I admire about you, Bastemon," replied the fox, "I do love that Vampire Dance of yours…so fluid, so elegant…" Bastemon growled in response and twisted her wrist again sending the whip back toward Kyuubimon. The nine-tailed fox only smirked and disappeared as the whip sliced past. "It's a shame its user is so incompetent…"

888

"I think we're ready for the final training," Matadormon said quietly as he clipped a sickly sprig from the vine. "It's the hardest…not many like you can do it, Taku."

"Lord Matadormon," Taku looked up at the digimon. "I'll fight…anyone no matter how much more powerful than me they are."

"It's not that kind of training," Matadormon replied quietly, "It's the hardest training because it's not a horrible villainous digimon."

"Then what is it?" Taku looked up at Matadormon.

"Do you remember when I told you, a few days ago, that there is more than one way to destroy a life?" Matadormon stood up and dusted off.

"Yes," Taku nodded quietly looking up at the silk dressed digimon.

"Well, there is this city, it's a very bad city, they harbor spies, and assassins and all sorts of unpleasant beasts," Matadormon replied quietly as he extended his hand and helped Taku to his feet. "Its name is…Santa Caria…I want it cleaned from the map."

"Cleaned…from…the map?" Taku gulped quietly. He looked at DemiDevimon, "Can you do it?"

"But the innocent digimon…" DemiDevimon looked up at Matadormon.

"These digimon are working to destroy my life, and if they could destroy me," Matadormon replied in disappointment. "I…understand if you do not wish to assist…It's not as if I'm being left alone to die…."

Taku looked up at Matadormon. "I…it's just…they aren't…like the others…"

"I know, that's why their plan is so perfect," whispered Matadormon quietly, "what cold hearted monster could attack a small village filled with innocent digimon…"

"That's it exactly," murmured Taku quietly.

"No one is innocent," Matadormon whispered, "They're using their weakness as a weapon to manipulate your heart…to make you feel bad for them, to keep them safe, their using their weakness as a shield to protect those evil monsters."

Taku looked up skeptically. "But…they are really weak…aren't they? There are really weak and defenseless digimon there…"

"They are guilty, none the less, though; they are feeding and hiding the monsters amongst them…" Matadormon replied quietly. The digimon looked into Taku's eyes, "How about this…if a police officer came to stop a criminal and was going to shoot his gun…and you jumped in the way doesn't that make you just a guilty as the criminal?"

"I guess…" Taku replied quietly as he looked at Matadormon. "But…"

"If you are worried about killing the innocent, think of it as you being a police officer, and the townspeople being fools getting between you and the criminal," said Matadormon quietly as he patted the boy's head, "it's their fault if they don't run away. Right?"

"I guess…" Taku said as he looked down at the ground.

"They want me to hurt, they are tricking you into feeling bad, Taku!" Matadormon pleaded quietly, "Like your friends, they make you feel bad for all those things you say. It's their fault they were the ones to provoke you…this is the same. Santa Caria is hiding people that are provoking this attack…"

Taku's eyes hardened a little, "Lord Matadormon…I'll…do it…" He looked up at DemiDevimon, "Do you think you can do it?"

"I'll follow you anywhere and back you up always," DemiDevimon nodded quietly.

"Good, then we shall go," Matadormon said quietly as he turned.

"You're going?" Taku looked up at Matadormon in surprise.

"Yes, I shall wish to supervise, think of this as an exam," Matadormon replied, "Kyuubimon and a few others will be with me. Do not fret, Taku, if you do like you've done before you shall do fine!"

"DemiDevimon…are you sure about this?" Taku whispered as he looked up at his partner.

"They are trying to hide Lord Matadormon's enemies," DemiDevimon said quietly, "they are guilty by association."

888

"This is very dangerous," whispered a voice behind Matadormon. Matadormon sighed again as he looked down at the city on the ridge.

"I know, NeoDevimon," grumbled Matadormon as he watched Taku and ExVeemon approach the city.

The white body armored digimon behind Matadormon crossed his arms. His red wings unfurled.

"You're just stuffy," snorted a female voice. NeoDevimon growled as he glared over at feline, temptress who spoke.

"Bastemon, don't provoke a fight," warned Matadormon as he looked over at the lynx-woman. She was standing on the head of a Devidramon that Matadormon had brought with him.

"Yous worry too much, NeoDevimon," growled another male voice. Matadormon looked down. A pinstriped suit covered the brusque, muscular frame of a demon digimon below him. A grayish overcoat shifted in the wind as did a pair of crimson scarves. A small pair of black wings held him in the air. One of his clawed hands held a large machine gun. "Even ifs this boy screws it up, we can finish the job."

"I am not talking about destroying the village, Astamon," NeoDevimon growled as he looked down at the demon in the suit. "I don't entirely care for the plan of inviting the other digi-destined here…what if he goes back to them, and we have to face him and them at the same time!"

"Don't worry," Matadormon replied quietly as he lifted his hand. "It's been thought out. Even if he betrays us, there is plan B."

"And what is plan B?" NeoDevimon demanded loudly.

"Bastemon, knows what plan B is, you needn't worry yourself, it's in capable hands," replied Matadormon quietly. He lifted his hand and pointed, "It's beginning…"

There was a black plume of darkness near the gates of the city. Seconds later a tear ripped across the city. Screams and shouts of digimon rippled through the air. The guardians were flying to the gates. Matadormon chuckled loudly as a Rapidmon, a Zudomon and a Shakkoumon charged forward. Matadormon's cohorts ooed and awed as the three guardians were dismissed with little effort by DemiDevimon's Ultimate form. The city exploded again and again as black arcs of energy ripped through the houses, and markets. Several Veggiemon were scene running on the road with several Elecmon. Suddenly a black arc sliced down the road destroying the escaping digimon. It didn't take too long before the city was gone, or at least in a pile of rock. What digimon were left were so badly damaged that they would spontaneously explode into dust at random moments.

"Stay here, I will commend Taku on his work," Matadormon smirked and then glided towards the remains.

"The idiot has a death wish, the digi-destined will be here soon," growled NeoDevimon loudly.

"Lord Matadormon can take care of a few children," snorted Kyuubimon loudly, "not even DemiDevimon's Ultimate form can stop my master."

"I guess we'll find out…" snorted Astamon as he pointed upward with his gun. A dragon was gliding toward the city.

888

"Taku!" Matadormon touched down in front of the black haired boy. DemiDevimon was sitting on the child's head, "DemiDevimon, how are you feeling?"

"Ok…I guess," Taku replied quietly. He looked up at DemiDevimon, "You?"

"I could do it again if I had to," replied DemiDevimon, "All that fighting the last few weeks has really gotten me strong…"

"Good," Matadormon replied quietly. "I think I saw some water…that way," Matadormon lifted his arm and pointed off to the east, "about a block away. Go; get yourself something to drink…"

"Ok, Lord Matadormon," Taku said as he bowed and ran down the street with DemiDevimon.

Matadormon smiled contently as he saw a large, green dragon glide overhead. He saw the children. He leapt upward propelling himself up the piles of rubble and then launched upward toward the dragon. The dragon curled around as Matadormon passed. Matadormon smiled quietly and then glided back to the ground. The Airdramon glided downward and landed. The children scrambled down and ran towards him.

"Heh, like sheep to slaughter…" Matadormon watched on as they ran closer. Two blondes, a male brunette and a brown haired girl, with a Guilmon and Agumon and a DORUmon and Renamon, they weren't much trouble. The children and their digimon skidded to a halt a few yards in front of him.

"Who did this!" shouted the brunette male. "Was it you?"

"No…no, I didn't do this…" chuckled Matadormon quietly as he looked at the children and their digimon. "I wish I could have this kind of raw capacity though…"

"Who are you?" The taller blonde growled as he glared at Matadormon.

"I?" Matadormon smirked quietly. "I am Matadormon, liege of this land."

"Matadormon…" The brunette male and the older blonde growled quietly. "You're the guy who took Taku from us!"

"Maybe…" Matadormon replied quietly as he watched the children. "Though really, it's not taking if he prefers to stay with me than you…more like, giving him a home…"

"What kind of home can you give him?" the girl spoke up. Her eyes were stern. "You're evil, a monster, you killed so many! You're tricking Taku into doing your dirty work."

"I can give him the kind of home that he is welcome in," replied Matadormon quietly, "the kind of home where his feelings and desires are met, the kind of home where he's respected, and not forced to withstand derision…the kind of home where his talents are understood and welcomed to increase…"

"Liar…" The brunette boy growled, "You're tricking him, give us our friend back!"

"Or what?" Matadormon replied quietly.

The boy pulled the small digivice that hung on his hip up. "We'll take him back by force!" The boy looked down at the grayish lavender digimon at his side, "Ready, DORUmon?"

"Yes!" growled the fox dragon as he glowed and evolved into his Champion form. The champion digimon glowed again and turned into a large, red and black dragon with silver wings. It snarled down at Matadormon. "Give him to us, or face my wrath!"

"What? That's your super weapon?" Matadormon looked up at the digimon and then yawned. "I hope you've got more from where that's coming from…I guess I should have the cooks prepare another meal for Taku…"

"He's stronger…than he looks," Renamon whispered as she walked forward. "DORUgremon can't do this alone."

"Renamon…you better evolve…don't you think?" the girl replied quietly as she held up her digivice.

The golden fox glowed and turned into a large lobster. A second flash covered the lobster. "Ebidramon digivolve to Cyberdramon!"

The black muscled digimon with the light metallic armor over her chest and waist walked forward and spread her crimson wings. Cyberdramon stood next to DORUgremon, clenching and unclenching her clawed hands.

"Mmm, something with fish I think," Matadormon said as he tapped his chin with his clawed finger. "Maybe potatoes instead of rice tonight, yes, something special indeed…but what to have with the vegetable. Taku doesn't like peas…or cooked carrots…maybe a tossed salad."

"He's not worried at all…" Guilmon whispered as he looked at the nonchalant stance of Matadormon.

"We'll make him worry," the older blonde growled under his breath as he lifted his digivice.

Guilmon glowed and evolved into a large, yellow, armored, cyborg dragon. The light shimmered again and the cyborg dragon morphed into a bronze swordsman with a flowing, azure cloak.

"Oh…I see, three on one, eh?" Matadormon shifted slightly into a more defensive stance. "You're putting on a good show…I mean we both know you don't want him back."

"What the heck?" the brunette boy growled as he glared at the silk clad digimon. "You have some nerve! DORUgremon! Take him down!"

"Right!" DORUgremon unfurled his wings. "Metal Meteor!"

Matadormon was slammed against the rubble behind him as he was struck by liquid metal pellets. Matadormon groaned as the pellets ceased. He dropped to his knees.

"Give him to us now!" growled the older blonde.

"No," Matadormon said as he tried to stand.

"Don't stand," growled Cyberdramon loudly. "Stay down if you know what's good for you."

"I guess I don't know what's good for me," smirked Matadormon as he stood.

"Then I'll just have to put you back down," replied Cyberdramon. The dragon slid its claws through the air, "Desolation CLAW!"

Emerald energy smashed Matadormon back against the rubble. The dragon snarled as Matadormon slowly rose to his feet.

"Grade Slash!" The wind from sword of swordsman sent Matadormon to his knees again.

"We're not playing around! Give him to us!" growled older blonde. "You monster, I don't know what kind of crap you pulled but you've made Taku a mess!"

"A mess?" Matadormon asked quietly, "I made him a mess? You're the one that left him. You gave him to me, to mold. I only have made him better, stronger, happier, everything you haven't done!"

"You…" the brunette clenched his hand. "You won't leave this town alive!"

"I think if we hit him together…" DORUgremon growled as he glared down at Matadormon, "We'll have the power to finish him off."

"Everyone, one…two…" Cyberdramon drew emerald energy into her hands. Grademon lifted his blades. DORUgremon drew his wings open.

"STOP!" Taku and DemiDevimon slid in front of Matadormon. The black haired boy glared at the others. "I heard you! You aren't going to hurt him!"

"Taku!" the children gasped in unison.

"Damn straight, now get out of here, and leave Lord Matadormon alone!" Taku growled as he clenched his fists.

"He's evil," the smaller blonde shouted.

"Shut up, he's not evil!" Taku snarled as he glared at them. "He saved my life, he treated me well, fed me, let me sleep in his castle. He treated me like a person, he cared for me, hell I'd say he loves me!"

The other children looked at Taku. The taller blonde walked forward, "He brainwashed you, Taku, it's all a trick to get you to do his dirty work, don't let him trick…"

"Shove it, Haru, what's wrong? Can't you believe someone actually likes me?" Taku growled loudly.

"Taku, don't talk like that, we really want you to come back…" the brunette boy started as he looked up at Taku.

"Don't tell me your lies anymore, Kisho," Taku glared at the brunette boy. "If you cared so much, if you wanted to have me back, you would've came for me, but you never did…you don't care. You don't give a damn. So much for wanting to be my friend…you left me to die…"

"What do you mean, we didn't leave you…he…" the girl looked up at Taku.

"SHUT UP!" Taku shouted.

"Taku, did you destroy all those towns? Did you kill those guardian digimon?" The taller blonde looked up at the black haired boy. The blonde swept his hand around to the rubble around them. "Did you do this?"

"I did," Taku replied quietly. "I did, and I'd do it again, those digimon wanted to hurt Lord Matadormon, and unlike you bastards, I protect my friends."

"Taku he's evil…" The smaller blonde whispered.

"Shove it! I'm tired of hearing it!" shouted Taku loudly. "So are you going to go, or will I make you leave!"

"We can't let you stay with him!" Kisho said loudly, "I haven't been crisscrossing this continent for you to say, 'sorry you're too late'! So get off your damn high horse and come on! I don't care what we have to do. Is Matadormon what you're clinging too? Well guess what, he's evil, he captured you and he wants to destroy everything so he can become the ruler of the world. SO GET AWAY FROM HIM! NOW! OR I'LL BLOW HIM AWAY!"

"Kisho…" the girl and the two blondes looked at the boy in shock. Even the digimon looked at the boy like he had spoken sacrilege.

"You really think you can just take away the only guy who's ever cared for me like I was a real person?" Taku asked. His black hair shadowed his eyes. "You think you can just walk all over me and demand things like that? You think you're so damned special, you think you and all your buddies can just push me around because I'm an outsider? Because I'm a freak? Well, if you want me to go, you can drag me away, but I better be dead…because if I'm not, you may well be!"

"Taku!" the girl gasped loudly.

"Shut it princess, I'm sick of hearing you!" Taku lifted his digivice.

"Taku, what are you doing?" growled the older blonde.

"Lord Matadormon, don't worry, I'll protect you from these guys," Taku looked up at the other digi-destined. "Don't make me get rough!"

"We're not leaving without you," The brunette boy growled as he slid his goggles down over his eyes.

"DemiDevimon…" Taku growled softly.

"DemiDevimon digivolve to ExVeemon!" the bat grew large and morphed into a black skinned dragon.

"We're not going to back down, Taku, you're outnumbered and our digimon are Ultimates, so surrender!" Kisho shouted loudly.

"You don't get it, do you?" grumbled Taku loudly as he looked up at them. "I don't want to go. If you want to fight, fine, we'll fight you, but the results are on your head." The black haired boy looked up at ExVeemon. "Let's show them…let's show them what a couple weeks with Matadormon have done for us."

"If you want to…I'll stand by you," ExVeemon growled as a dark aura swarmed the dragon's body. His eyes glowed bright red and they looked at the other digimon, "You guys better run, I won't have mercy on you."

"We're not letting you get caught up in this, DemiDevimon," returned the digi-destined Ultimates.

"ExVeemon digivolve to…." The darkness expanded and then contract around a humanoid form. Black body armor covered his body and a lavender arm shield appeared on his left arm. A black flame shaped helm covered his glowing eyes. Eight, black wings formed from his body. Golden sashes crisscrossed his body. A black energy blade appeared on his right arm. "Black MagnaAngemon!"

"This…is not good…" Cyberdramon growled as she looked at the dark angel.

"What do you mean?" The girl looked at the black dragon.

"Angel digimon are incredibly powerful, far beyond most digimons' power," Cyberdramon explained as she eyed the dark angel.

"Stop talking, I didn't get dressed to talk," growled the angel as he launched forward, "Ebony Blade!"

"Crossing Blade!" the bronze swordsman leapt forward and clashed blades with the angel.

"Grademon!" roared Cyberdramon, but it was too late. Grademon was tossed away like a tissue.

"Metal Meteor!" DORUgremon spread his wings and fired liquid bursts of metal at the angel.

"Fool, those little pinpricks won't stop me," chuckled the angel. He leapt forward and slammed a fist into the side of the dragon's head. DORUgremon growled, but the sound was cut short as a knee crushed into DORUgremon's sternum.

"Stop it, DemiDevimon!" growled Cyberdramon as the black dragon tackled the angel.

"What's wrong, foxy? Don't like it that you're not the most powerful anymore?" the angel's lips curled into a smile. "You were always such a pain…"

The black energy blade sliced forward. Cyberdramon leapt away but not before the blade grazed her flesh. The angel stood up and laughed loudly.

"Taku, stop it…DemiDevimon…please…" The younger blonde was looking up at the black haired boy. The small child walked forward, "Stop this fighting, don't be like this…"

"You, the twerp…" Taku growled, "The one they chose over me. The weak one…the…stupid annoying hopeful one…I'm so sick of hearing your whiny voice…Black MagnaAngemon…silence him…"

"WHAT?" The older blonde and the brunette boy, as well as the girl ran in front of the younger blonde. Agumon ran in front of the humans. "Don't lay a finger on him! How could you hurt a little child?"

"Out of my way," growled the dark angel as he walked forward.

"Desolation Claw!" Emerald energy struck the dark angel. The angel didn't stop. Cyberdramon dove down but the angel back handed the black dragon.

DORUgremon charged forward but was lifted and tossed away like a bundle of hay. Grademon swept his swords forward but they met the force of the angel's black blade. The swordsman held the angel for a second but was tossed aside. Black MagnaAngemon walked forward and stopped in front of the children and glared down at Agumon.

"Out of my way, Agumon," growled the dark angel.

"No, I am going to protect my partner!" shouted the little tyrannosaur. "I'm not going to let him get corrupted! If I have to I'll fight too!"

"A pipsqueak like you is nothing, I'm not afraid of your impotence," snorted the angel. "Move aside…"

"No!" Agumon growled in reply.

"Fine, then be destroyed!" Black MagnaAngemon lifted his sword. "I'll finish you all off in one swipe!"

"Please, stop…please don't do this…please, I know you don't want to," the smaller blonde cried softly as he dropped to his knees, "STOP IT!" Light shot from Haru's digivice and covered Agumon with golden radiance.

"Agumon digivolve to…" The little tyrannosaur glowed brightly. He grew into a dragon knight in golden armor, with large golden shoulder pads and golden armored gauntlets, "Magnamon!" The golden knight smashed into Black MagnaAngemon with a hard punch. The angel skidded backward. Hatches opened on Magnamon's armor. Streams of light erupted forward, "Magna Blast!"

Golden light burned across Black MagnaAngemon's body. The angel shook its head and lifted his blade. Magnamon charged forward and smashed spitfire punches into Black MagnaAngemon's stomach.

"Ebony Blade!" growled Black MagnaAngemon as he swept down. Magnamon reared backward as the energy arc burned against the knight's golden armor.

"Magnamon!" The smaller blonde shouted.

"Don't worry, Jiro, I'm fine…" Magnamon growled as he stood up.

Matadormon narrowed his eyes. He had not anticipated the champion of Miracles to rise again. It was a possibility that the dark angel might fall. Matadormon growled, and then retreated. He grabbed Taku and leapt up a pile of debris away from the battlefield.

"Taku!" shouted the humans.

"Black MagnaAngemon, keep them down, I'll take care of Taku!" shouted Matadormon as he leapt to a safer position

"It's times to finish this, Magnamon," growled Black MagnaAngemon as he lifted his energy sword. "One last cut. Ebony Blade!"

Magnamon braced himself and then opened the hatches of his armor. "No, you won't, defiled darkness! Magna Blast!"

Streams of light seared across the dark arc of power. Magnamon grunted as the energy blade pushed his light back.

"He's too strong, for Magnamon alone!" The girl shouted loudly.

"He needs help, guys get up!" the brown haired boy spun around to where the other Ultimates were trying to rest from their beating. "I know it hurts but…"

"Don't worry…" Cyberdramon stood up with a wince.

"We're not going to let Magnamon carry all the weight," Grademon used his swords to push himself up.

"Here comes the cavalry," DORUgremon splayed his wings, "Kids, get back this isn't going to be pretty…"

The children gulped and then ran behind DORUgremon. The three Ultimate digimon looked at each other and nodded.

"Magnamon, get back!" shouted Grademon as he charged forward. Cyberdramon was charging parallel to the swordsman.

"Here goes nothing!" growled DORUgremon as he was enveloped with crimson energy. "Bloody Tower!" a torrent of bloody energy swirled forward as a large tornado.

Magnamon leapt free of his gridlock with Black MagnaAngemon, after being able to wrest the energy into the ground. The golden armored knight swept around the tornado as Cyberdramon and Grademon attacked.

"Grade Slash!" Grademon sliced one his swords forward releasing a wave of energy that traced into DORUgremon's tornado.

"Desolation Claw!" Cyberdramon roared as she pumped the tornado with emerald energy.

Magnamon hovered in the air and opened the hatches of his armor again. "Magna Blast!" Golden radiance flooded the bloody tornado as it roared toward Black MagnaAngemon.

"What…is this power…?" Black MagnaAngemon gazed at the twisting maelstrom of power. The angel took a hesitant step backward. A tendril of energy grabbed Black MagnaAngemon's leg and sucked him into the combined attack.

"NO!" screamed Taku loudly. "DEMIDEVIMON! NO!"

"Something's not right…" Magnamon growled as he watched the tornado. "The darkness isn't decreasing….it's…getting…no….it can't be!"

"EBONY BLADE!" The tornado imploded as the dark angel dropped to the ground. Black MagnaAngemon lifted his head. "So, you're done playing games…" The angel took a deep breath, "I have one more trick up my sleeve…"

"It doesn't matter what you try, we'll stop you!" growled Grademon as he drew his blades up.

"You were always such an idiot," snarled Black MagnaAngemon as he stabbed the air with his sword. "Stop this!" Black MagnaAngemon drew his sword in a large circle in front of himself. A black line form and was filled in with a bony circle that spun slowly. "Gate of Destruction!"

"No!" The digimon gasped as the circular portal opened. Behind the ivory gates was a black swirling mass. An immense suction came out of nowhere. The digimon groaned as they struggled to escape the grasp of the gate.

"We…have…to protect the kids…" Magnamon growled loudly as he grabbed the smaller blonde boy's hand. "We're getting out of here…Jiro"

"Ren!" growled Cyberdramon as the black dragon's wings struggled to fight the wind.

"HARU!" Grademon grabbed the taller blonde boy. "Gotta escape!"

"Kisho!" DORUgremon grabbed the brunette boy with his mouth and held him up.

"Fools, there is no escape! Gate of Destruction! TAKE THEM NOW!" shouted Black MagnaAngemon loudly.

Dark hands flew out of the gate grabbing the destined digimon by the throats, dragging them back towards the gate. The struggles of the digimon were futile and one by one they were sucked into the dark pit beyond the ivory ring that encircled the black vortex. First it was Magnamon and the youngest child. Then it was that Cyberdramon and the female. Then it was Grademon and the older blonde child. Lastly it was DORUgremon and the brunette. Matadormon smirked as the brunette child looked up at Taku, searching for pity or sympathy.

"Please…Taku!" shouted the boy loudly as the gate swallowed him.

The gate closed behind the last child. Its bony surface spun and then exploded into dust. Black MagnaAngemon glided over to where Matadormon and Taku were standing. A black aura flooded from the angel, and the it reverted to its Rookie form.

"Taku…" DemiDevimon looked up at the black haired boy, "Is everything ok?"

Taku's eyes twitched slightly. "They're…they're…we...I…"

"Taku…" DemiDevimon whispered.

The child fell to his knees and scooped DemiDevimon up in his arms, "You're safe…" Taku sniffled loudly and tears stained his cheeks. He looked up at Matadormon, "Lord Matadormon, may I go home now…back to the castle…I don't…feel very well…"

"Of course my child, of course," Matadormon said quietly as he led the child out of the ruins of Santa Caria. A cold smile played just underneath his sympathetic face, _"I was worried there for a second. I was afraid that the thought of killing his fellow humans would've caused his mind to snap, or that he would turn on me…but he seems…unharmed…" _

"Lord Matadormon…" Taku stopped and looked up at the digimon. "Can I be done protecting you now?"

"I have one final thing for you to do…" Matadormon replied quietly.

"I don't know if I can do that…I don't know if I want to continue with this…existence," whispered Taku quietly. "Something feels…weird inside."

"Let us get you home, you need rest, you went through a traumatic experience," Matadormon replied quietly as he picked up Taku, who was carrying DemiDevimon, and leapt into the air.

888

"Woah, that kid's got guts," said Astamon loudly as he watched Matadormon flying away. "He just blew his entire team away."

"He's too powerful," NeoDevimon snorted loudly as he turned. "This will be our end, toying with this human. Nothing good can come of it."

"Always such a little scaredy cat," grumbled Bastemon as she pulled on the reigns of the Devidramon. "Everything is under firm control."

"I don't trust you, Bastemon," NeoDevimon returned loudly. "You're scheming. Matadormon puts too much faith in you."

"All of you, be quiet, let us return to the castle," Kyuubimon shouted over the others. "It can be discussed there."

888

"Sleep child, it may be one of the last nights you'll ever have," Matadormon whispered as he looked down at Taku's restless sleep. DemiDevimon was also resting unpleasantly. "For in the morrow we strike the Headquarters of the Order and retake our precious digimental, and once I have that, you'll be of no use to me, and thusly exterminated."

Matadormon smiled happily down at Taku and then left the room, disappearing into the darkness.

**888**

**AN: I guess I own Black MagnaAngemon….but not really the design is basically a negative of MagnaAngemon. His attacks are pretty similar too…Ebony Blade is supposed to be the sword of the Black Knight, thusly being antagonistic to Excalibur. I don't know what else to say, this is a weird chapter. The fight with Silphymon took longer than I thought it would, but I really wanted to test drive Matadormon. Conniving little bastard isn't he? Oh and Magnamon makes a return! And holds his own! **

**Yo Fue: There is probably a reason for that, being that it's not a truly canonical digimon. I wanted to do this for a while, actually there was a clue that this would happen in Chalices Dark and Light….but…heh it was a bit of a double clue…**

**Blue: I bet you had it figured out. Right away! Yes, they each get two, (coughsimilaritiesto02anyoneanyonecough). I cheated I know…**

**Dark: okay.**


	29. Gennai and Gabumon’s Excellent Adventure

**I don't own digimon nor the pop culture reference of this chapter title**

**Gennai and Gabumon's Excellent Adventure**

**888**

"Are you sure about this?" asked the woman as she walked next to a man in a hooded robe.

"It is our only choice," replied the man as he walked up to a pedestal. He put a box on top of the pedestal, obscuring small inscriptions on the pedestal's surface. "We cannot afford Arkadimon to get his claws on the digimental." He drew his hands up and splayed nine cards out. "I have to get it as far away from him as possible. And who can get farther than another world…?"

"But Gennai, what about the…" The woman whispered quietly as she looked down, "They disappeared; the only one that is left is the Child of Darkness…and he's firmly in Matadormon's grasp…"

"I do not believe that they are dead," The man replied quietly as he gently put the cards into place on small, rectangular depressions on the face of the pedestal. "The particular attack the MagnaAngemon used to get rid of the other children, does not destroy, only removes from this plane…simulating destruction. They've been taken somewhere. I have a few guesses but I cannot be certain."

"Where are they? Maybe we can retrieve them using the…" The woman looked up at the man.

"No, I will not allow you to gate to that place…it's too dangerous," the man said as he looked up. A huge pair of doors in front of the pedestal started to crack open. "Too much was lost in war to keep him there only to let him out again…"

"You don't mean…they went," The woman looked up at the man as he looked into the blazing light that was streaming from the crack of the doorway.

"Yes, a dark gate to a dark world," Gennai whispered quietly he lifted his head and looked back into the shadows of the room's entrance. He shook his head and picked up the box on the pedestal.

"You don't mean they're…" the woman looked up at the man.

"I believe so…" Gennai replied.

"But how will they escape? There is no escape…that's why…the angel put him there," The woman stammered as she looked at the man.

"To escape a dark room one must only turn on the light," Gennai said quietly. He turned and smiled at the woman, "Didn't I say that to you already, Luminel?"

"But…that…defiled place…" whispered the woman. "And not only that but won't…the defiled beast…sense the gate."

"Possibly, he will probably be most interested to get visitors, don't worry, the children can do it; I have faith in them," Gennai replied as he walked toward the, now, opened doors. "Whilst I'm gone, don't get this place destroyed…"

"We'll try, the Devas said they'll be here in an hour, Piximon said he'll be here soon after, and as we're speaking, Malthacar is preparing the defense grid," replied the woman as she shielded her eyes with her hand. "Is there anything else? Do you need anything?"

"Nope, I have the recall unit," replied Gennai as he lifted a small box with a red button on it. "I have the digimental…do you think I need a lunch?"

"Err…I don't think so…" said Luminel with a frown, "Can't you take this seriously?"

"Well, if I took this seriously then that would mean it was serious, wouldn't it?" said Gennai with a smile and a thumbs up.

"You're mood shifts…I think you need to see a doctor," sighed Luminel as she shook her head.

"Just a second!" shouted a voice from the entrance of the room. A digimon ran forward. He had a blue pelt hung over his shoulders. A horn jutted from the digimon's head. "Don't leave without me!"

"You aren't going, Gabumon," sighed Gennai as he walked. "That would cause far too much instability, and confusion. Humans aren't overly enthusiastic about those things that they can't understand."

"But you could get hurt, Gennai!" retorted the digimon loudly. "You need someone to protect you. I could protect you."

"You're a coward! I'd probably spend my time protecting you!" Gennai retorted quietly. "Plus you wouldn't be able to hurt the humans…it's not allowed."

"Please!" the digimon asked as he grabbed Gennai's leg.

"Gah!" Gennai growled as he shook his leg. "If you go you'll make things more complicated!"

"I don't care, it's too dangerous for you…" said the digimon loudly.

"He's not going to give up, is he?" Gennai looked at Luminel.

"I don't believe so, no?" sighed Luminel quietly.

"Right, then, let's get going," Gennai looked down at the digimon. He turned and walked towards the portal of light. Gabumon trailing behind him, "Luminel, close it behind us; we'll signal to set up the retrieval beam…"

"But what about, 'it upsetting the balance'?" yelped Luminel as Gennai's and Gabumon's shadows started to be eroded by the light of the portal.

"Eh, it's just a bunch of propaganda to keep idiots like us from doing things like this," chuckled Gennai as he disappeared.

"Gah, that inconsistent idiot is always doing stupid stuff like this!" growled the woman as she slammed her fist on a large red button. The giant doors, Gennai and the digimon had passed through, slowly closed behind him. Luminel walked to the pedestal and snatched up the cards that Gennai had put in the indentions. She sighed and puffed her cheeks, "but then again, he's very rarely wrong…" Luminel turned and walked out of the portal room. "I better talk to Daedian about those eggs; the faster they hatch the better, and I better make sure that Rathiel has a triple redundant power linkage to those holding cells…we don't want those experiments escaping." She frowned slightly as she ran through a mental checklist, "Gennai is the one that's supposed to be managing things…I don't know why I let him walk all over me like this, and make me do all his work…" Luminel sighed quietly, "I guess I'm just too soft on him…"

888

"Taku, wake up," called a voice through the heavy wooden door of his bedroom. "It is morning…"

Taku's eyes flickered open. The shadows still filled his room. The sun light hadn't yet breached his window. He looked down next to him, where his partner was. The bat was sleeping yet.

"You're safe…" whispered Taku quietly. He looked down.

"Child, did you hear me?" asked the voice again.

"Why have you awakened me?" asked Taku toward the door. "It is odd that anyone is awake this time of day in the castle, most of the digimon here prefer the night."

"Today is special; Lord Matadormon is planning to attack the Order's headquarters," said the voice. "He has asked me to prepare a special, breakfast, mmmhvmmm, yes…"

"I see," Taku whispered as he slid his legs around and sat on the side of his bed. "Will I be going with him?"

"I don't know," snorted the nasally voice. "I didn't ask. Why don't you get your butt out of bed and find out?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Taku whispered as he stood up. He looked down, "Why can't this wait? I don't want to do this, not anymore…"

"Heh, Lord Matadormon isn't going to like that kind of talk," chuckled the voice on the other side of the door.

"You woke me up," Taku growled quietly, "so why don't you leave, after all, don't you have crap simmering, Digitamamon?"

"Heh, fine, I'll get going," snorted the obnoxious voice.

Taku waited a few minutes and then ripped the door open. The hallway was empty, except for the shadows. Taku shivered slightly and closed the door. The shadows seemed to be watching him, waiting like lions to pounce and drag him away. Taku rubbed his arms and staggered back to the bed. He dropped down on the bed and looked over at DemiDevimon.

"I wish I knew…" whispered Taku quietly as he reached down and ever so lightly ran his fingers over the fur of the bat, "I wish I knew what DemiDevimon thought…every time I ask, he just says that he'll follow me anywhere and that he trusts my decisions…but I'm not the one that…"

"Taku…?" whimpered the bat quietly as it shifted, "Are you awake?"

"Yes…I…couldn't sleep well," Taku whispered quietly as he looked up. The first streaks of light were dancing through his window. Taku stood up and walked over to the window. He didn't look out; he just drew the curtains closed cutting the dancing streams of light off at their source. "The morning has come…but I don't think that the day will be very bright…"

"Is something wrong Taku?" the bat stood up.

"We…killed them…we…killed…them," Taku whispered under his breath as he walked back.

"They attacked…I wanted to protect you and Matadormon; it was instinctual…" DemiDevimon murmured. "They were going to try and kill Matadormon and I knew that would've upset you…"

"I think; it's time that we leave…" Taku said quietly as he looked down. "I'm afraid of what he'll ask of us next…"

There was a soft rapping at the door. Taku tensed up and looked at the door.

"Taku…" The boy frowned. It was the sound of Matadormon's voice. "Did Digitamamon come and get you up, yet?"

"Yes, Lord Matadormon," Taku's voice escaped with a strain on his vocal cords.

The door slowly opened. Matadormon walked into the room slowly, regally. The sleeves of his arms and legs flowed in synchronization with his lank gate. The digimon turned his golden eyes flickered softly in the recesses under a metallic helmet that rested on his head. The jutting orange hair was still brilliant even in the shaded room.

"I wish to talk to you about today," Matadormon said quietly. "As you know…"

"Lord Matadormon, if I may ask, could I possibly not be part of it?" Taku cut the digimon off as he looked up at the thinly built creature.

"I am afraid you cannot," Matadormon replied. "I wish for you to blast open the doors to the Order. My army is not powerful enough to push through the various defenses, plus, many of the Order's allies have congregated there to help defend them."

"I see…" Taku whispered as he walked slowly over to the bed. "What if I don't want to do this?"

"Ah, well," Matadormon looked down and grimaced. "I hate to say this…to even bring this up, but you are living here without paying me…and I'm feeding you and training you…"

"You're saying I owe you this?" Taku looked angrily up at the lank digimon.

"Now, now, calm down," Matadormon said calmly. "Child, this will be your last job for me. After this, you may do as you wish. I promise this will be your last employment by me."

Taku narrowed his eyes and then sighed loudly, "Fine…one last time. That's it, no more. When I'm done, we're even."

"Of course, Taku," nodded Matadormon quietly. "Now, make sure you are ready, because pending any problems, we'll be leaving this evening."

"Yeah…" sighed Taku quietly.

888

"Huh, I always pictured the Human World…" Gennai looked around. Automobiles were rushing past and exhaust fumes filled the air. Dirty buildings lined the dirty streets, "…differently."

"This is where the digi-destined are from?" asked the digimon at Gennai's side.

"Unless I got the wrong cards in the wrong spaces, but I didn't. So, then yes, this is where the digi-destined are from," Gennai said as he hopped down the pile of rubble that constituted the remains of the Heighton View Terrace pedestrian overpass. "Now come along, the longer we're here the worse things will be when we get back…"

"What do you mean?" the digimon asked as he chased after the humanoid.

"Well, the transmission of time is different here than it is at home," explained Gennai as he waited at the street for the pelt wearing digimon to descend from the overpass. "It seems whatever power Kurayami has been using to manipulate the gateway from his limbo prison is causing a temporal disruption which makes this world's time pass much slower than the Digital World's time, roughly about a minute to a day ratio, between this world and home."

"So that means we've already spent a day here?" Gabumon gulped as he looked up at Gennai, "That's bad…"

"Mmmhmm," Gennai said quietly as he looked back up at the sky. "Matadormon and company could already be here…"

"Don't you have faith in the Devas, and Piximon's help or the others?" asked Gabumon as he and Gennai walked along the sidewalk.

"It's not that…" Gennai replied quietly. He looked up and saw a woman looking at the two of them with a weird gaze. Gennai waved and smiled, "My son, we just came from a fancy dress party," Gennai looked down at Gabumon, "isn't that right, my lad?"

"What are you talking about?" Gabumon looked up at the man in shock.

"Just say yes," gritted Gennai quietly through his tight lips.

"Yes…?" Gabumon said with more of a question than an affirmation.

"See, such odd children this generation don't you think?" Gennai chuckled hesitantly as he pushed Gabumon forward.

"Must not fall from the tree," snorted the woman as she watched them pass.

"Heh, yeah…" Gennai chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Gennai, where are we going?" asked Gabumon quietly as they walked at an accelerated pace.

"The Odaiba TV station…" whispered the man quietly. "I'm hoping the electromagnetic interference will hide the digimental's power…"

"You actually think that'll work?" Gabumon asked quietly.

"Nope…" Gennai sighed as he walked. "Those that are looking for it are too desperate, but it will buy us time…" The man stopped at the intersection and looked back and forth, "This way…" Gennai took a step to the left. The man stopped and turned around and pointed in the opposite direction, "Or was it that way…"

"You don't know?" Gabumon sighed as he looked up at Gennai.

"Now that I think about it…" Gennai chuckled lightly, "not really…"

"I'm starting to think that Luminel was right about you…" replied the small wolfish digimon.

"Hey, it's the first time I've ever been to this world, it's not like I can be expected to know all the ins and outs of it," Gennai replied with a frown. The robed man then sighed and put his hands on his hips, "Guess there's nothing for it but to just ask for directions…"

"Psst…" a voice whispered from an alley behind them. Gennai's head lifted and he turned back to look at where the voice was coming from. "Ya lost, mister?"

"Well, as a matter of fact I am," said Gennai as he walked toward the alley, "You see it's the first time I've ever been in this city…so the landmarks aren't very familiar…I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of Odaiba TV station…"

"Well, why don't come here, and I'll tell you," said the voice from the alley.

Gabumon frowned and followed Gennai closely, "I don't like it; it smells in here and it's dark…"

"Yes, it does smell like fermented goods in here," remarked Gennai as he walked forward.

He walked into the shadows. There was a man standing there. He was in a faded, dirty T-shirt and torn jeans. His hair was mussed as was his skin. His eyes were of a rose tint in the whites against faded, gray irises. Gennai instinctively put his arm sleeve up as the smell of alcohol rolled off the man like smoke from a fire.

"So, yer, lost, are you alone?" asked the man quietly.

"Yes, quite alone, well, just my…boy," Gennai said with slightly diminished cheer.

"Well, you see…" said the man quietly, "I'd like to give you directions, but I need a bit of a toll…"

There was a flash of light and a blade flicked out of the man's palm. Further inspection showed that the blade was part of some sort of switch action mechanism. Gennai's eyes grew stern and hardened slightly.

"I see…" said the Gennai as he looked at the blade. "You are a thief…"

"Heh, just a man trying to get an honest livin', not so honestly," chuckled the man quietly. "Now, hand over your crate and your wallet."

"Sorry, I can't do that…" replied Gennai sternly as he handed the crate he was holding to Gabumon. Gennai looked down at the pelt wearing digimon, "Don't open it; don't listen to it; keep it closed at all costs…"

"Hey, guy, don't make this hard, I've had a long day…" grunted the man loudly, "don't make me have to hurt you."

"A long day, then how about you make this easy on both of us, huh?" Gennai smiled, "and just give us directions to the TV station…" Gennai's eyes measured the man's stance, whoever he was, he was in ill health and quite possibly intoxicated, "It'd make everything really simple…"

"Sorry, can't do that," grunted the man as he lunged forward.

Gennai easily slid back from the man's jerky motion and dropped a fist down on the man's back like a club. The man fell to the ground with a grunt and the switchblade in his hand skittered off into the refuse that existed in the corner of the alley. Gennai knelt down next to the man, who was whimpering in pain on the ground.

"Now, as I was saying, we're a little lost, which way is it to the TV station?" whispered Gennai with a congenial smile. "Right at the intersection or left?"

"Ugh, left…" grunted the man as stared at the ground.

"See, I knew it was left, teaches me to second guess myself," chuckled Gennai as he walked up to Gabumon and reclaimed the box. Gennai continued to walk out of the alley with Gabumon. He turned and smiled down at the man, "Oh, and sir, thanks for the directions, but I wouldn't suggest you continue asking for tolls…it seems like a lot of fuss."

"You handled that very well," Gabumon said quietly, "Guess I didn't need to come…"

"Yes, well, we better get moving; I don't want to have to do that too many times…" Gennai whispered has he started to jog down the street.

"How far?" Gabumon rasped as he chased after the man.

The man continued to run, only stopping to run in place, while waiting for traffic. They ran down several blocks and finally they came to a T-intersection. Gennai pointed up at building with satellite dishes and antennae.

"Here we are," Gennai ran up to the edge of the sidewalk.

Cars and vans hummed past on the asphalt street. On the other side of the street was a tall, gray building that went up several stories before topping off with a large, ball-shaped top attached to several walk ways to a set of antennae.

"This is the Odaiba TV station?" Gabumon asked quietly.

"Yes, let's go," Gennai said as he waited for a gap in the passing vehicles. Finally there was a lull in traffic and Gennai grabbed Gabumon's paw and pulled him across the street at a brisk run.

"Now what?" asked Gabumon.

"Don't worry," Gennai opened the door and walked inside the building. "Follow me."

"Ok…" Gabumon followed the man in the long robes into the TV station.

They walked into a large empty lobby. The only thing that filled the tiled room was a single desk sequestered to the far wall of the lobby. A woman was sitting behind the desk chewing gum in boredom. Gennai walked up to the desk and looked around. The woman looked up in irritation at Gennai.

"Can I help you?" the woman said with a sigh.

"Yes…" Gennai said quietly as he put the box that held the digimental on the desk. "I'm with the National Institute of High Frequency Electromagnetic Monitoring…and this is my…"

"Sir, we don't allow animals within the station without permits…" said the woman as she glared down at Gabumon.

"Umm, right, well this is a very special…animal," Gennai blushed as he looked down at Gabumon. "He has a knack for sensing high frequency electromagnetic waves…kind of like how bees can sense UV…"

The woman quirked an eyebrow, "It looks like you tossed an old, ratty pelt on a weird looking dog…"

"I'll have you know that I keep this pelt clean!" snapped Gabumon loudly.

The woman blinked and looked at Gabumon, "That…that…that…thing…just…talked!"

"The jig's up, run!" Gennai shouted as he snatched the box and grabbed Gabumon, dragging him past the desk into the interior of the TV station.

The woman grabbed the phone and dialed a phone number, "SECURITY! SECURITY! A man with a strange box and dog just ran past! It could be a terrorist attack!"

"What a mess," grumbled Gennai as they ran through the labyrinth of corridors and up the stairs. "We need to find a place to put the digimental and then we need to get the heck out of here before we're arrested…"

"Well, I wasn't about ready to have my pelt insulted," snorted Gabumon loudly as he ran next to Gennai.

Gennai sped past a room and then slid to a stop. A group of security guards were rounding the corridor up ahead.

"Yipe!" Gennai backpedaled, dragging Gabumon with him, and slipped into the room. He slid behind a shelf of film. The man breathed quietly in deep, slow breaths. "This is insane…they've probably got everything covered…"

Gennai looked up. He could hear the sound of voices in the room, but they weren't from the entrance of the room. He slowly crept along the side of the film shelf and poked his head out. There was a man sitting in front of a TV monitor mumbling slowly to himself.

"I'm never going to get this damned thing edited," growled the man as he glared at the television. "Natsuko…is going to kill me if I'm late again."

A PA speaker sounded loudly. "A bomb is suspected to be in the building, all non-security personnel must evacuate the station, immediately. This is not a drill; this is not a drill. A bomb is suspected to be in the building; all non-security personnel must evacuate the station immediately…"

"Stupid fools, it's not a bomb," grumbled Gennai as he looked at the box, "well, not in the literal sense…"

"Who's there?" The man swiveled around on his chair and glared at the rows of film.

"Uh…Hi…" Gennai waved innocently. Gabumon poked his head out behind Gennai.

"Oh my god, there _is_ a terrorist!" the man shouted loudly. The man reached for a red telephone, but Gennai leapt forward and smacked the man's hand.

"Settle down! We're not terrorists!" Gennai growled. "Jeesh, let me explain," Gennai sighed and shook his head. "Well, try to explain…"

"If you're going to spout your manifesto for the public I'll need a camera and an audio recorder…" the man said in nervous compliance.

"I'm not going to spout a manifesto," grumbled Gennai loudly, "I just need a place to stash this!" He lifted up the box. The man yelped loudly, and Gennai only drooped his head and sighed, "It's not a bomb…it's a…"

"It's a digimental!" said Gabumon with a smile.

"A what?" the man looked up at Gennai.

"It's an ancient artifact from a different world, that holds great power," Gennai said as sternly and straight-facedly as possible. "Evil agents of Darkness wish to control its power so we came to this world to hide it…we were hoping the TV station's electromagnetic field would blanket the artifact's energy signature…"

"You're…crazy…right?" the man looked up at Gennai and started to chuckle, "Some sort of Otaku…this sounds like something from one of those anime my older son watches…"

"Gabumon, he doesn't believe us…" whimpered Gennai dejectedly.

"It's real!" Gabumon snorted loudly as he hopped forward and ripped the box from Gennai's hand. The digimon then pulled the box open.

"NO!" yelped Gennai as the top of the box opened to reveal a black crystal ball on a black, magma-like stalk.

"A prop? It's very well…made?" the man shook his head and rubbed his temples.

"It's not a prop; you can hear it can't you? The voices…" Gennai whispered as he looked at the digimental. The man looked up at Gennai and nodded slowly.

"What's…going on in there?" shouted a group of voices. "All personnel are supposed to be evacuated!"

"Security…" growled the man loudly. He looked up at Gennai, "Don't worry…I'll deal with them…"

"Ah…" Gennai watched as the man got up and walked away.

"I'm sorry, my dear friends," said the man loudly as he disappeared around the shelves of tape decks. "I should've told you my brother from Okinawa was coming, he's got an old artifact from the island and I was using it for a show I was shooting, I'm sorry if he scared you…"

"This is a very serious situation, Mr. Ishida," snorted the voice of a security officer.

"I know, but it's an innocent mistake, I'm sure we can overlook this…" the man replied quietly, "My brother is priest…he gets a little…flaky sometimes…you'll have to excuse him. He didn't mean to frighten Mrs. Takahashi…probably the old bat's fault anyway you know how touchy she is…"

"Mr. Ishida…we do have to look at the box to verify that it's not a bomb and that you aren't being controlled by terrorist elements," said the security officer's voice.

"I'M NOT A TERRORIST!" shouted Gennai in frustration. A group of uniformed men walked forward and looked at the man in robes. Gennai picked up the box and tipped it to show the security officers. "See, not a bomb, only an artifact."

"Ok…" said the lead security officer.

The security officer had short, well-trimmed, brown hair and gentle brown eyes. His eyes lifted and looked into Gennai's. He stared long and hard at Gennai and then down at Gabumon. The man's eyes narrowed and he looked as if he was suppressing a soft gasp.

"Mr. Hida," asked one of the other security officers; "is something wrong?"

"No…it's nothing…" said the lead security officer as he turned away from Gennai. "Stupid false alarms…I could've been studying for my police exam…"

"Don't worry, you've got it in the bag boss," said one of the security men.

The security men left the room in a group, leaving Gennai and Gabumon with the man from before. The man walked forward and ran his hand through his messy, choppy, brown hair. His skin was frayed and wrinkled, though he didn't look old.

"Are you sure this is ok?" Gennai asked as the man returned to his swiveling chair.

"Hiroki is a pretty decent guy, not a hard-ass at all, not like the guy before him, it's a shame we'll lose him to the police," murmured the man quietly.

"I should ask your name…" Gennai said quietly.

"Hiroaki," said the man with a murmur. "Ishida, Hiroaki."

Gennai looked up at a clock in the room, "Gah, we haven't time for this, they could already be here! We need to hide this thing fast, preferably in the place with the greatest amount of interference."

"I'll take it," The man said quietly, "I know this station like the back of my hand, I can get access to the main antennae room…that should keep that 'signature' of yours hidden."

Gennai looked up at the man skeptically, "I have a few rules. First rule: don't open it; don't look at it; and for heaven's sake don't listen to the voices. Second rule: Don't tell anyone about this…wait, don't tell anyone about it except for five children…"

"Five children…?" The man looked up at Gennai with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes, Sasuke Ren, Yamada Kisho, Samson Haru, Samson Jiro and Yoshida Taku," said Gennai as he counted off on his fingers. "You may want to write that down."

"Right," said the man as he scribbled the names down on a peace of paper. "Anything else?"

"Beware of any creature with long claws and a silken wardrobe," said Gennai sternly. "Or anyone it may be acquainted with."

"Right…" The man looked up.

"That's everything…I think…" Gennai put his finger on his lips, "I hope so…I'd hate to think I left something vitally important out that led to the destruction of this world…" Gennai smirked and started to laugh, "I'd really have egg on my face if that happened…"

"Uh…" Hiroaki looked at Gennai.

"Don't worry, he's just has a weird sense of humor," said Gabumon as he waved his arms.

"I see…" Hiroaki replied as he looked at the box.

"Well, here you go," Gennai passed the box to Hiroaki and smiled, "You'll do well, don't worry…" Gennai turned to Gabumon, "Well, let's get out of here."

"Ok…" Gabumon nodded as Gennai walked past.

The little digimon and the robed Order member left the room and slowly henpecked their way out of the TV station. People were glaring at them as they went by. The security officers eyed them as they walked down the hall, and once they entered the lobby, the woman at the desk narrowed her eyes and gave them a look of death.

Gennai ignored it but Gabumon turned to the woman and stuck out his tongue. The woman harrumphed loudly and the digimon scrambled to hide beside Gennai. They exited the TV station. A number of police cars were still parked near the TV station.

"You were the one that set off the alarm today weren't you?" growled one of the men loudly.

"Uh, well, it was an accident," said Gennai quietly.

"You do understand that we're under a strained state since the spring; don't you?" growled the man loudly, "You're lucky, this time that the TV station went lightly, you pull this stunt again, and we'll put you in jail!"

"I…won't do it again," Gennai said with a smile, "I promise."

"I better not catch you even trying!" shouted the man loudly.

"I think we should go," Gennai said as he led Gabumon down the street and around the corner into an alley.

"Now what?" asked Gabumon quietly.

"We just have to wait…" Gennai said as he pulled out a small box with a red button on it. He pressed the button. A red light on the box blinked quietly. A second passed then five. Ten seconds passed and still no reaction. Gennai frowned as he looked to the sky. There were no apparent signs of any kind of warp forming, "They must have started the attack…if that's so, then all resources would be put into defending the fortress…"

"You mean we could be trapped here?" shouted Gabumon loudly. The digimon ran around frantically, "I don't wanna stay here! It's loud and smelly and the people are mean; I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home!"

"Shush!" snapped Gennai as he bopped the top of the digimon's head. "We just have to wait for them to activate the gate's recall program, it may take a few minutes…don't worry, we're far from trapped here…"

"How long has it been…?" asked Gabumon loudly.

"For the Digital World, maybe…ten days…" Gennai looked up, "Maybe a little longer, this time dilation stuff isn't an exact science…"

Gabumon sighed and slumped against the wall of the alley. Gennai sat next to him. The two watched the red light on the recall box blink impotently.

"I hope it doesn't take too long…" Gabumon whispered as he looked at the sky anxiously.

"Maybe I should've packed a bag lunch," returned Gennai as his stomach rumbled quietly.

"There's that flippancy again…" groaned Gabumon as he curled up and hugged his knees.

888

"The main problem with taking the Order's Headquarters is the relatively powerful defense grid that surrounds the fortress," announced Matadormon as he pointed as a large projection of a mountain side fortress. A glowing dome surrounded the fortress, "We've done testing; the barrier does extend below the fortress, underground."

Matadormon had been planning this attack for awhile now. He had wished to do it the day after the incident in Santa Caria; that morning he had confronted Taku about dealing with the Order's defenses, but logistical problems had forced him to push the attack back. First a number of troops got delayed by a severe thunderstorm in a mountain pass, then a forest fire delayed another battalion, but now there was nothing to slow down Matadormon and his collected army.

"Then how are we supposed to get to the fortress then?" growled one of the digimon that was part of the large combat meeting.

"That's where Taku comes in," replied Matadormon as he swept a flowing silk-sleeved arm in the black haired boy's direction. "He and Black MagnaAngemon shall strike the force field directly. We've been monitoring the shield's output, and measuring Black MagnaAngemon's energy release and determined that he can, in fact, nullify the shield."

"Then after that then it's just a clear shot against those weakling Order," shouted one of the digimon in the crowd.

"If only it was that easy," Matadormon replied as he pressed a button on a remote. The silhouettes of twelve digimon appeared on the projection. "It's been long known that the Order have an alliance with a group of digimon known as the Devas. They are four powerful, holy digimon; each of them easily surpassing the power of a normal Ultimate digimon. We have confirmed that a messenger has recently been sent to summon these twelve digimon to assist in the defense of the fortress…but fear not, I have a lot of faith in each and every one of you to muster all your power to push past these mercenaries!"

"What's the battle plan?" growled another of the digimon in the crowd.

"We're not sure, but we know that a number of the Devas are rather large, especially the one named Vikaralamon and another named Majiramon…we wish to counteract these two with equivalent force, WaruSeadramon and HishaRyuumon will be in charge of neutralizing Majiramon…Mammothmon and Skull Greymon will be in charge of dealing with Vikaralamon. There is one digimon amongst them named Indramon, he is also presumably large. We believe that Triceramon would be able to deal with him."

"What of the others?" shouted the crowd loudly.

"You each will have your assignments!" Matadormon returned loudly with a wave of his bladed fingers.

"Lord Matadormon, how long do you want me to continue the fight after…I destroy the shield?" asked Taku quietly as he looked up at Matadormon.

"I would wish for you to continue until we obtain our objectives, Taku," Matadormon replied quietly as he looked down at the boy. "Black MagnaAngemon would be an undoubted asset to our efforts…"

"But DemiDevimon and I are feeling more, uncomfortable with the idea…" Taku replied quietly. "He's still in the room; he's been so tired since he fought with the digi-destined. I think we crossed the line by…doing what we did in Santa Caria…"

"Silly child, you did what most beings dream of doing," replied Matadormon quietly. He gently entwined his claws. "You vanquished all your foes in one strike…"

Taku looked down at the table he was sitting at. "Then why doesn't it feel good inside…"

"Don't worry, child, it will; you just have to get used to the feeling," Matadormon stood up and dismissed the other digimon. The digimon quickly departed, leaving Kyuubimon, Matadormon and Taku in the room. "Isn't that right, Kyuubimon?"

"I'm sorry, master, what did you say?" replied the fox quickly as he surveyed the departing digimon.

"Doesn't it feel good to vanquish your enemies?" repeated Matadormon quietly.

"Yes, my lord, beyond any other pleasure," nodded the nine-tailed fox.

"I…don't know…" Taku whispered quietly as he looked at the table.

"You don't have to know," Matadormon replied, "I've told you that it is so."

"I have to go and see DemiDevimon," said Taku as he walked from the table. "I will see you this evening then."

"Yes, you will," Matadormon said quietly as the boy left the room. After the child left, Matadormon turned to Kyuubimon. "I have a special job for you."

"Lord Matadormon?" Kyuubimon looked up at the lank demon.

"While we are taking the Order's fortress, I want you to watch over the castle," Matadormon said quietly as he turned to leave, "I will leave you with a small force; just incase things go poorly."

"You fear the child will betray you…" Kyuubimon said as Matadormon reached the exit of the room.

"The child may wish to betray me, but he will finish his task first," Matadormon's voice whispered in an aggravated tone, "and if he steps too far from line, his 'freedom' from me will be permanent."

"At least the others have been dealt with," the fox replied.

"So it seems," Matadormon said with a note of hesitation, "so it seems…"

Matadormon left Kyuubimon alone in the conference room. The fox looked around hungrily at the seats at the lead table. His chance was coming; he could feel it. The nine-tailed fox turned and disappeared into the shadows a soft chuckle wafting from his throat.

888

It was cold. A frigid breeze cut across his face. His brown eyes flickered open. A gray sky filled his vision. He shook his head. The sound of ocean waves filled his ears. His head pounded and he slowly sat up. Around him were strewn unconscious bodies, bodies of his friends, the bodies of their partners; the body of his brother. They were crumpled on the gray sand. The breeze brought a salty scent into his small nose. He winced and looked at his side. He could see his partner lying on the ground, unconscious. Even the color of the little, tyrannosaur was dimmed to a gray. He swept his hands up and slid them through his hair.

"Where…are we?" whispered Samson Jiro quietly to the gray sky. "Where are we?"

**888**

**AN: Sorry for the wait. I had things to deal with. This is a bit of a lighter chapter, and yes I know that Mr. Ishida really never saw Gabumon in the original and that it was only a dub mistake that can be interpreted either way, but I like this better, and I like the other little reference to the other parent…I think it ties things together. I am aware that the police wouldn't probably just allow Gennai to get away but it's called a plot contrivance, and though you should avoid them, sometimes they are unavoidable or…such. **

**Hmm, quite a few responses to Taku and DemiDevimon's reaction to their 'friends'. This was one sticking point I had with that chapter; making the anger strong enough to sound like Taku could do it. Maybe I didn't get across how much festered anger Taku had pent up or how much he really like(s)d Matadormon. I had hoped I had. This chapter puts Taku in a very different mood, he's very, well, you've seen, I hope. Next chapter may take some time to write, it's complicated and I'm still not entirely sure how I want it to play out, not only that but it's a massive headache of a battle coming. It may actually stretch two chapters, but I would really prefer it not to…but we'll see.**

**Alforce: Yes, Black MagnaAngemon, he has insane power, which is why he's the perfect super weapon. Matadormon is a very different villain from Myotismon, Karatenmon and even Baronmon in that he's very silver tongued and comes off as compassionate, which possibly makes him more evil than the others.**

**Blue: I could say, but I'm going to. Actually Magnamon could evolve into Knightmon as well…which makes sense since Magnamon is a Royal Knight…and theoretically Knightmon can evolve into other Royal Knights…like RhodoKnightmon…but that's just a possibility right?**

**Dark: Thanks. **


	30. The Keys of Light and Hope

**I don't own digimon**

**The Keys of Light and Hope**

**888**

"RUN!" screamed Ren's voice loudly as he felt someone grab him. His eyes flickered open. Renamon was carrying him cradle style. "Go Renamon, get Haru to safety!"

"What's…going on?" Haru coughed as the smell of ozone and burning flooded past.

"Now's not the time to explain," Renamon said sharply as she leapt up a cliff-face. "We must find higher ground."

"Where are the others?" Haru asked quietly.

"Running, we decided you were in the greatest danger as you were still unconscious," Renamon replied as she reached the top and broke into a sprint.

"What are we running from?" Haru asked quietly as they entered a city. The buildings were all a bland gray color. Haru blinked and looked up at the sky, it was the same color gray, in fact; everything was the same color gray. "For that matter where are we?"

"Never mind that," Renamon snorted as she ducked and weaved through the shadows of the building. "We must find safety. The others are right behind me." She stopped in front of a three story building. "This building should be safe from the waves…"

Renamon leapt straight up to the roof of the building and put Haru down. The blonde haired boy looked down and watched as the digimon and the other children run into the building below. Minutes later a door to a large cubicle on the roof opened. Jiro and Agumon, then Ren and DORUmon and finally Kisho and Guilmon, ran onto the rooftop. They stopped next to Haru and looked back. The sea was behind them. Gray mists covered the horizon, a large shadow shifted in the fog. Two gleaming red eyes pierce the darkness.

"What…is that thing…?" Haru hissed quietly.

"Dragomon, lord of the darkened world, the master of the sea, a demon from the days of old," Renamon hissed quietly, "The first creation of Kurayami to gain vengeance from the non-viral digimon. We were sent to the Dark World, to a world where evil goes when it is killed, to fester…it's the Hell of the Digital World…"

"It's leaving…" whispered Jiro as he looked up. The shadow seemed to recede into the fog. He looked up at the others, "We need to get out of here…we have to go, now!"

"We can't," Renamon whispered, "and Dragomon knows it. That's why he isn't pursuing. He has all the time in the world to hunt us down. He can kill us at his leisure."

"Don't say something like that!" DORUmon hissed loudly as he crouched down on his haunches. "We just have to save up our strength…we need to find a place to rest…"

"Well, for all intents and purposes this is a photo negative of Odaiba…" Ren looked up at the others, "That means there is a hotel about a block from here. We should go there..."

"Ok," Kisho nodded, "that sounds like a relatively safe place…"

"Then let us go before he decides to resume his game of cat and mouse," Renamon said in exasperation. "I do not see the point, though, it matters not where we go, he will find us and he will eventually wear us down until we're dead."

"Stop saying that…" DORUmon growled loudly.

"Let's go," Kisho said quietly. "We can talk about how we're getting out of this when we get there."

888

They walked into the lobby. The upholstery and carpeting was gray. The plants were even gray. Jiro shuddered quietly as they walked through the lobby into a small diner that was adjoined to the hotel. The children sighed as the gray continued within the diner, covering everything.

"I wonder where the food is," Guilmon whimpered as he rubbed his tummy.

"I'll look," Ren said as she walked off in the direction of the kitchen. The plastic, gray swinging doors flew opened and flapped shut. Her voice shouted from the kitchen. "No way…" She appeared from the kitchen with a sigh. She walked back to a table where the others were now sitting, "no food…it's empty…"

"We have to find food," Kisho said quietly.

"No, we need to get out of here; we have to get to Taku," Jiro whispered as he held his arms tight against his body and shivered, "We need to get away from this world…"

"What we need to do is figure out a plan to stop Taku and stop him for good," Haru growled as he glared at the table.

The others looked up at Haru. Kisho frowned and Ren just looked down and rubbed her arm. Jiro joined them and sighed.

"What? Come on, he's proven that he's basically betrayed us; he's with the bad guy," Haru shouted loudly. "We can't just go back there and let him get away with this."

Kisho tightened his lips, "Haru's right…we gave him a choice…and he chose to stand by Matadormon. We're going to have to fight him, if we want to stop Matadormon, and we'll have to fight him all the way. No backing down, no holding back…"

"But…he's one of us, he's human," Ren looked up at Kisho and then looked at Haru. "We can't just kill him…"

"We'll have to destroy DemiDevimon then," Haru replied as he turned and looked out one of the windows.

"But…" Ren looked at Kisho and Haru. "We…can't, can we?"

"They both have turned evil, we have no choice," Haru said as he punched his palm.

"They turned their backs on us, they sent us…here, handed us to this beast," Kisho said as he looked at the table intently. "We're effectively dead to the Digital World and he sent us to Hell! He killed us like he would kill a fly, he's not our friend. If he ever was…to think I actually wanted to be nice to him…that I felt bad for him, and then he goes and…and…" Kisho pressed his lips together and looked up at Ren, "He stabbed us in the back, and we…I…won't take that sitting down!"

"I…guess you guys are right," Ren looked away from Kisho and at the gray plants the lined the walls of the diner. "He needs to be dealt with…"

"You're wrong," The older children looked over at Jiro. The smallest of the digi-destined looked up; his light brown eyes looked sadly at them. "He was hurting…we made him hurt and he lashed out. This is as much our fault as it is his…"

"How can you say that?" Haru snapped loudly as he glared at his brother, "He was going to have DemiDevimon kill you; and you're standing up for him?"

Jiro held up a small pendant; it had a small rose engraved on its surface, "I have to…Gennai gave me his crest; I have to at least try and understand."

"Kindness to go to that heartless monster," Haru snorted as he crossed his arms.

"He attacks his friends, he's not kind…he's cruel, a monster," Kisho nodded in anger.

"They're right, Jiro, he's not right in the head, he's kind of crazy…" Ren said as she flashed a placating smile, "I understand what you mean but…he's just…"

"Different…" Jiro looked up at the others, "if you're going to kill DemiDevimon because Taku is different then you better kill Agumon, too."

"WHAT?" yelped the small tyrannosaur loudly.

"It's what he said in the chapel, we're different," Jiro looked down at the two pendants hanging from his neck. "Light and Darkness, are different from the others. They are powerful, maybe too powerful for anyone to control alone…if anything Taku needs our help. If we go back looking for vengeance we'll only plunge Taku farther into the darkness…the darkness we pushed him into…"

"What do you mean?" Haru growled. His eyes were flashing with angry energy and his face was getting red. "How can you protect him; how can you blame us? I'm you're brother, for crying out loud; how can you side with that beast?"

"Because, you're wrong," Jiro stated sharply as he glared at his brother, "He's not evil…I know better than that." Jiro glared at the others, "None of us actually tried to be his friend, not even you Kisho. We feared him and acted cold towards him, we pushed him away."

"He acted cold towards us, you reap what you sow," Ren replied sharply and indignantly.

"And he sowed what he could in the ground we gave him," Jiro replied with a frown, "Don't you see, since Haru recognized him; Haru has hated him and the rest of you have slowly but surely followed suit. Am I the only one that didn't want to fight back when he attacked us? Am I the only one that asked for it to stop?"

"Jiro, you don't understand what's going on; why don't you let someone old…" Haru looked at his brother softly.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Jiro shouted as he jumped to his feet, "Taku is being hurt, he's being tricked and we let him get tricked. We have to get out of here…we have to let him see that we don't hate him…we have to forgive him."

"NO!" Haru growled loudly, "No, I won't forgive him; he tried to kill you!"

"That doesn't matter!" Jiro glared at his brother. "We need to forgive him; vengeance will only make more vengeance! The more we hate him the more he'll hate us back, and we'll never win against him or Matadormon!"

"Don't be an idiot," Haru glared at his brother, "we forgive him and he stabs us in the back…I won't be lied to twice."

"You weren't lied to the first time!" Jiro growled under his breath. "You never allowed him to be anything else but your enemy."

"You don't understand," Haru looked at his brother.

"What don't I understand?" Jiro asked in a soft and gentle voice. "He's very sad and very angry, and we made him that way." Jiro stood up and looked at Kisho and Ren, "We need to go back to the Digital World; we need to go back and forgive Taku, and we have to ask him for forgiveness."

Kisho looked at Jiro with hard eyes, "but…he…"

"Jiro…it doesn't work that way…" Ren looked at the boy and patted the child's head.

"It will, I know it…Ahh!" Jiro winced and curled his arms tighter around his body. "It…hurts…"

"What's wrong?" Haru, Kisho and Ren stood up and moved toward Jiro as the boy slumped back into his chair.

"He's…here…" whispered Jiro looked up. "He's here…the darkness is so…thick…"

"Thousand Waves!" roared a loud voice. The sound of waves rumbled around the children.

"It'd be nice if you'd digivolve," Haru looked down at Guilmon.

The red dragon winced and grunted but nothing happened, "I...can't."

"The tank's empty," Haru growled as he looked at the dragon.

"It's not that…" Guilmon whimpered as he looked up.

"What then?" Haru looked down at the dragon.

"We don't have time," Renamon growled as she tensed up. "The waves are coming!"

"Where will we go?" Ren looked up at the fox.

"Up stairs, now!" Renamon shouted. The fox grabbed Ren's hand and ran from the diner.

"But what if the hotel collapses?" shouted DORUmon as he hopped after Renamon with Kisho. Jiro and Agumon ran after the boy.

"I guess we swim," chirped Agumon.

"I don't swim!" yelped DORUmon as they left the diner.

Haru clenched his fists and ran after his little brother. They ran up a wide set of stairs. They reached the top of the stairs and started to turn to go up the next flight. They leapt up the stairs two and three steps at a time. They got up four floors when the hotel shook. The sound of water smashing building rumbled from below. Sloshing ocean water gurgled from below.

"It's still coming," Haru shouted. "Let's go, keep going up!"

They ran up the stairs the water stalking them as they ran. The gurgling liquid soaked into carpet under their feet. A service stairwell appeared in front of them. The children quickly turned into stairwell running up the metal and concrete steps.

"That's the door to the roof!" shouted Renamon as she came to a large gray door.

"Well, open it!" shouted Haru as he pushed forward. He charged the door and slammed it open.

There he stood, taller than the city buildings. A large bulbous, head much like an octopus was stuck on his shoulders. His gray body was muscular. His arms and legs were in actually a set of bound tentacles. His right arm's finger-like tentacles were tightly wrapped around a large, ivory pitchfork.

"How nice of you to come to me," the figure growled. The tentacles on the creature's face flopped as he spoke. A huge pair of finny wings unfurled slightly. He lowered his pitchfork.

"Someone has to digivolve!" Ren looked at the digimon around the children, "please…someone!"

"We can't…" Renamon growled as she clenched her fists.

"They haven't eaten; they're just out of strength," Kisho sighed as he looked up at the large cephalopod that was threatening them.

"It's not that…" DORUmon whispered as he looked up at the brunette boy, "It's weird it's like something is suppressing our power…"

"Fools, don't you know where you are?" chuckled the squid digimon.

"Yeah, the Dark World, what of it?" Haru glared up at the squid.

"What are you talking about, Dragomon?" Renamon growled at the squid digimon.

"This world is the most powerful aggregation of malevolence and failure ever conceived," chuckled Dragomon as he glared at the digi-destined. "That failure and malevolence is the product of failed attempts at digivolution, as such any attempts to digivolve in this world will make the humors of this plane suppress the evolution..."

"What?" The digi-destined gasped.

Dragomon lifted his pitchfork, "Time to say goodbye, forever…"

"This is Taku's fault…" growled Haru as he clenched his fists. "We wouldn't be in the predicament if he hadn't…"

"You still don't understand…" Jiro whispered. "We'll all die…because we mistreated our friend…and he turned against us…it's our fault."

"NO!" Haru growled as he looked back at his brother.

"Haru, Jiro's right," Kisho whispered as he looked down, "I called him a friend and then I pushed him down; whenever he got into a fight with someone I blamed him…I never even considered that someone else provoked it."

"I always thought Taku was a jerk…but really," Ren looked down, "I was the jerk, I was a brat…he was right about me, and he was trying to tell me about it, but I didn't want to hear it…"

"What's wrong with you guys, don't we have more important things to deal with?" Haru sneered as he pointed at Dragomon.

"None of that matters, even if we were to win here; there is still no reason to go back if we hate Taku," Jiro looked up at Haru. "Darkness in your heart, it will suppress your strength. You have to give up your hate, and accept forgiveness. You have to be willing to forgive…after all, I forgave you…"

Haru blinked in shock.

"It's time for you to say goodbye," Dragomon's pitchfork flickered with energy.

"Forgive him…" Haru looked up at Jiro and the others. "How…can I…forgive…him?"

"The same why I can forgive you," Jiro said quietly as he looked at Haru, "You have to go to him and say, 'I forgive you', but that's not enough, you have to be ready to say, 'I'm sorry', too."

"I…can't…" Haru looked down at floor of the roof.

"You can," Jiro looked up at his brother, "I can help, you don't need to do this alone; we can all apologize together…"

Haru looked at his brother and he kneeled in front of the smaller child and hugged him tightly, "You…you were right…"

"Now we have the strength to fight our fight and heal our wounds," whispered Jiro quietly as the crest engraved with a large star started to glow.

"Impudence, you shan't ignore me!" growled Dragomon loudly as he pointed his pitchfork forward. Putrid green energy flew from the tongs of the fork, "Forbidden Trident!"

A pillar of rose light fell from the sky and enveloped the children. The energy warped around the pillar and flew off into the distance. The children looked around them.

"The light…where'd it come from?" Kisho asked as he looked around. Ren nudged Kisho with her elbow and pointed at Jiro.

"The power…can you feel it…?" asked Agumon as he looked at the other digimon. "It's like…a fuzzy fuzziness…"

"Yeah, it's like eating warm bread with butter and jam," giggled Guilmon as he looked into the light.

"The power…it's growing I don't feel like I'm being suppressed anymore," Renamon whispered as she looked at her hands.

"It's Jiro…his crest…" DORUmon looked up at Kisho, "This may be our only chance, should I?"

"Yes," Kisho nodded as he lifted his digivice.

"You too, Renamon," Ren looked at the fox.

"Guilmon…" Haru looked up at the red and black dragon.

"DORUmon digivolve to DORUgamon!" large black wings unfurled as DORUmon evolved into his large fox dragon.

"Guilmon digivolve to Raptordramon!" A yellow and metallic dragon roared into place where Guilmon was.

"Renamon digivolve to Ebidramon!" a red lobster morphed into place where the fox was.

Jiro lifted his hand and pointed to Agumon. A golden radiance swarmed around the small tyrannosaur and what came out of the radiance was a golden dragon knight, with large golden shoulder pads and a golden, armored skirt.

"Dragomon, go away, and let us leave this place," Jiro said as he looked up at the large cephalopod fearlessly.

"You hold the keys to escape from this realm? None have ever survived an attempt to escape, the great fire wall and Lord Kurayami would never allow it!" Dragomon growled loudly and glared at Jiro.

"We will escape this world…because we want to heal our friend," Jiro replied sternly. "Let us go, peacefully. We don't want to fight you."

"If I must be forced to endure this hellish prison then you shall be my cellmates!" growled Dragomon, "If I can't leave; then neither shall you!"

"Is that your final decision?" Jiro asked quietly.

"Forbidden Trident!" roared Dragomon as he fired a burst of putrid green energy at the children.

The light column shielded the humans. The digimon scattered, the boys' digimon taking flight and Ebidramon dove toward the water sloshing below. Dragomon looked at the four digimon as they rose against him.

"You really think you four have a chance against me?" Dragomon as he flung his tentacled arm forward. DORUgamon and Raptordramon dove out of the way of the arms. Magnamon jetted forward, flying parallel to the arm and shot toward Dragomon's head.

"Magna Blast!" A piercing light erupted into the eyes of the squid.

It screeched loudly and staggered backward. Magnamon shot into the sky escaping the flailing arms of the deep sea master. The squid swung his trident forward and snagged Magnamon. Dragomon then embedded the tongs of the trident into a building.

"You think you're so smart, but who's the one that's trapped?" chuckled Dragomon as he wrapped his tentacles tightly around trident. "How would you like an up close and personal experience with my trident?"

"Magnamon!" Jiro looked down at the digimon as it struggled in futility to free himself from the ivory pitchfork.

"Power Metal!" roared DORUgamon as metal ball bearings bounced off of Dragomon.

"Crash Charge!" roared Raptordramon an electrical burst flowed along Dragomon's flesh.

"Twin Neptune!" Ebidramon grabbed Dragomon's legs.

"Fools!" chuckled Dragomon as he smacked the digimon away. Dragomon turned his attention back to Magnamon, "Now it's time for you to be gone!"

"Magnamon…we have to fight back!" Jiro shouted as he hung over the edge of the hotel, "We have to get back to the Digital World; we have to get to Taku. We're his last hope!"

A glow erupted from his chest. Jiro looked down in shock and staggered backward. The second crest around his neck was glowing. The comet engraved on its surface was glowing bright green.

"The…Crest…of Hope," Jiro whispered quietly. The light grew brighter. Suddenly the crest exploded with light. The light shot to the other children. The crests on the children's chests started to glow.

"What's going on…?" the children gasped quietly.

"DORUgamon digivolve to DORUgremon!" the black, furred dragon morphed and grew into the silver winged red and black dragon. Its long neck reared up as it fanned its wings. "Metal Meteor!"

"Ebidramon digivolve to Cyberdramon!" A black, muscular dragon charged up Dragomon's arms and embedded her claws into the tentacles of the squid. The beast howled loudly releasing his trident. The pitchfork was wrenched from the building, freeing Magnamon.

"Raptordramon digivolve to Grademon! It's time to give you your just desserts," the yellow cyborg morphed into the golden swordsman with long, flowing blue cape. Grademon drew his swords forward, "Grade Slash!" Dragomon roared as Grademon's swords cut into his left arm. Black liquid oozed from the wound. Grademon crossed his blades, "Are you ready for seconds?"

"He hasn't finished his first helping," growled Magnamon as he opened the ports on his armor, "Magna Blast!"

Streaks of light ripped through the wounds of the squid sending it squealing, head over tentacle. Dragomon crashed fell into the flood waters that filled the city. His tentacles fell limply on around the buildings.

"I say we finish the job!" growled Cyberdramon as she hovered over the squid.

"I concur," growled DORUgremon as he let streams of crimson energy flow around him.

"No, we've done enough damage," Jiro called. "Let's get out of here!"

The digimon turned and then retreated back to the pillar of light. Magnamon landed next to Jiro, "How will we leave?"

"Follow the light," Jiro said as he pointed upward. "There, I can feel it."

"You heard him!" called Haru loudly as he waved at Grademon. The swordsman leapt next to him.

"Need a lift?" chuckled Kisho as he climbed up on DORUgremon.

Cyberdramon picked up Ren. Grademon glowed brightly and de-digivolved to Raptordramon.

"No, but thanks, Kisho," Haru chuckled as he climbed up on Raptordramon's back. Small jets fired as his metallic wings tilted and he took flight following the other digimon into the epicenter of the light.

The light grew progressively brighter until it was nearly intolerable. The luminance curled into a large cylinder flames a sharp heat swarmed from the light and it changed from rose to crimson. Suddenly the light disappeared and the digimon exploded into a field of flowers. The sun was starting to set.

"We're…back…in the Digital World…" Ren looked down.

"Taku is close…" whispered Jiro as he looked up, "and…so is Black MagnaAngemon…we have to work fast."

"Where is he?" Haru asked impatiently.

"Near the Order's fortress…" Jiro replied as he turned and pointed.

"Let's go!" Kisho shouted as he clenched his fist.

"We're right behind you, Kisho," Ren shouted as Cyberdramon swept behind DORUgremon.

"We don't want to fight him, we are only going to talk," Jiro said as he looked at the others, "Not even if he has Black MagnaAngemon attack us, we won't fight back. We've come to apologize and forgive, that's all!"

"Of course," Haru nodded.

"I'm serious, not even if he hurts us, we run away before we fight," Jiro said loudly as he looked at Haru, "I mean it."

"Ok…" Haru said as looked at his brother.

"Right," Kisho called, "We're not getting there chatting."

"Ok, let's go," Jiro nodded as Magnamon turned and flew off towards the sunset. The others flew after the golden knight.

888

Sparks erupted around the computers and monitors. Explosions boomed in the halls as circuits snapped and shorted. The lights flickered. Many of the Order were rushing around the command center, searching for extinguishers as the computers smoked.

"The circuits were never built to hold this much feedback," hissed Rathiel as he rushed to open new circuits and secondary systems to the energy backwash from the shields.

"Crest energy signal is coming back around," shouted one of the woman as she ran from monitor to monitor.

"Get Malthacar out of here and down to the med lab," Rathiel shouted, as he slumped the red haired man against a chair. The man was groaning. His face was burned and chunks of glass were protruding from his cheeks.

"Here he comes!" shouted a man's voice.

"We're running out of backup circuits," Rathiel growled as he watched the external visual monitor.

A black angel flew forward, brandishing black sword. Seconds later the monitor exploded. Electricity rippled across the surface of the computer terminals. The sound of sequential bops signified small micro-explosions in the computers as one monitor after the next started to go black.

"Tell me…that this isn't as bad as it seems," Luminel demanded in quiet hysteria as she watched the remaining monitors flicker.

"I'd like to…" whispered Rathiel as he looked up. The man ran to one of the remaining monitors and typed furiously. He groaned and leaned back, "I got good news and bad news…"

"Spit it out," Luminel moved next to the man.

"The bad news it that the defense shield is gone…" replied Rathiel as he looked into the hazel eyes of Luminel. "Good news is, the Devas are holding their own against Matadormon's servants, and the digital barrier system is still operational."

"We should wait before we initiate the digital barrier," Luminel whispered as she stood back up. "Have we had any word from Piximon?"

"No," Rathiel replied as he got up and rushed from monitor to monitor. The remains of the Order in the room were carrying their burned and cut comrades. "Last communication was put him a good hour away…"

"That was only twenty minutes ago," Luminel sighed quietly.

"I'm aware," Rathiel sighed as he spun around and smiled, "Don't worry, we'll make it."

"You're not as good at this reassurance thing as Gennai," Luminel smiled weakly and turned to flick her fingers over a computer keyboard.

"I'm not as insane as he is either," murmured Rathiel as he looked up at a monitor. "Newest telemetry from the southern gate is in…It seems Majiramon has been pushed into the mountains to the south…I'm not picking up any movement…"

"That could mean anything," Luminel replied as she turned and peered over Rathiel's shoulder.

"From what we can pick up, the two digimon that had engaged Majiramon are retreating northward…" Rathiel narrowed his eyes, "Are you seeing what I am?"

"The Dark Crest's energy signature is moving to the periphery almost like he's leaving the fight…moving eastward…" Luminel replied quietly as she pointed at the screen.

"Four dark energy clusters are following him…"Rathiel pressed a button. "Telemetry…is refreshing now."

"Is that…" Luminel pointed forward, touching the screen.

"It can't be; they were a good…" Rathiel looked up at a flashing red light, "Incoming message…"

"Ya need some help?" chirped the familiar voice of Piximon, "Cuz here's the cavalry, yep, yep!"

"How did you get here so fast?" Rathiel asked quickly.

"Short cut, through the southern crystal mines," replied the voice happily, "Gotta go, looks like Makuramon and Kumbhiramon could use our help!"

The link cut off. Rathiel smiled and looked up at Luminel, "See, we'll be fine…"

"It's not over…they still outnumber us," said the woman as she took a couple of steps back. "I wish Gennai was here…"

"We can't open the gate now," Rathiel replied, "We have to keep our lines of communication open, and as it is I don't think the power systems could handle that much of a spike."

"I know…" Luminel sighed as she turned, "Are you sure that the shield can't be fixed?"

"Not from inside and not without rebuilding the circuitry and power transfer systems," replied Rathiel quietly as he calmly typed away and worked at his station.

"Rathiel, set up a digital barrier around the med labs and all passageways between here and the med labs," Luminel commanded quietly. "Put all healthy personnel on guard duty in front of the gate room, we have to protect the gate room at any cost."

"Luminel?" The man turned slowly.

"You heard me; do it," replied Luminel quietly as she turned. "We have to be ready…they'll be within our walls soon."

"But…there's still a chance…the digi-destined…" Rathiel looked back at the woman.

"We can't count on them right now; we don't even know if they're alive. We're flying solo on this," Luminel replied as she sat down in front of a computer. She started to type in access codes into several small boxes, "Setting up interior defenses, randomizing internal dimensions…"

888

"Do you sense that?" Matadormon snorted as he flew in front of the three other digimon he was traveling with.

"It can't be; that other brat destroyed them!" growled the female, lynx-like digimon as she leapt from tree to tree. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Fool, it's obvious that the angel's gate was just a portal," growled a synthetic looking digimon with long arms and white body armor. "Where ever he sent them, it only dealt with them temporarily."

A pinstriped, gangster-like demon flew next to NeoDevimon. The gangster growled, "I knew you's plan to destroy them was too complicated, we should've just offed them."

"The battle isn't over yet, Astamon," Matadormon whispered as he glared back at the others. "We don't know why Black MagnaAngemon is going to them; maybe he wants to finish the job…"

"And if he isn't going 'to finish the job'?" growled the synthetic devil digimon.

"Then we enact Plan B, NeoDevimon," returned Matadormon as his silk wardrobe flailed in the wind. "We'll cancel him out of the equation so fast he won't even know it happened."

**888**

**Well, this chapter was kind of a pain to right. I had to redo the entire first quarter of it. Like I said I wasn't sure how this would play out. I wanted to really do this in one chapter but, I think it would be best as two. **

**Blue: I couldn't see the mistake per se, but I still went back and re-wrote the sentence. **

**Dark: Thanks. **


	31. The Reckoning

**I don't own digimon**

**The Reckoning**

**AN: Strong themes, and red stuff is relatively…well it's here, be careful if you are young and or really old with a bum ticker…though I guess it's not that bad but if you're young you may get nightmares…or something.**

**888**

"Get away from him!" shouted Piximon as he dove into a small pack of Sangloupmon.

The vampire wolves exploded into dark fog and flooded into the air only to reform a few meters away. The, round, pink fairy digimon let his beady, black eyes glance down at the digimon he'd just saved. It was a small creature with a metallic chassis and small wings. A mouse like head poked out of the tiny, spider like metal body.

"Thank you, Piximon," said the mouse as it released deep breath. The clawed projections on the side of the small, rat digimon were snapped and cracked. "Those rotten wolves nearly got me…"

"No need for thanks, think of it as repayment of a debt of gratitude, yep, yep," chirped the fairy as he patted his shoulder.

"Piximon!" shouted a female voice. The fairy looked up quickly as a group of puke green Tankmon fired a series of large barrages from their cannon-like snouts toward the pink fairy. A female wasp warrior buzzed in front of the fairy. Her jewel encrusted, emerald armor shimmered as she pushed her staff forward, "Spike Buster!"

"Thank you, Jewel Beemon," Piximon swept his brow with the back of his hand. "I was nearly cannon fodder."

"We're far too outnumbered," growled the wasp as she looked around, "Pandamon and Taomon are bottle up on the eastern front, ExTyrannomon and his group of Kiwimon are retreating toward the battlements of the fortress…We've lost Majiramon, and Vikaralamon is still tied up in his fight with that Skull Greymon and Mammothmon. Indramon is still struggling along the frontlines…they seemed to be swarming him…"

"We can't give up," Piximon said loudly as he looked down at the exploding earth below, "We have to buy the digi-destined and the Order time. Keep fighting!" The fairy looked up at Jewel Beemon, "Take a squadron of Airdramon and go see if you can't break Pandamon and Taomon out of the eastern engagement. I'll take a group of Kougamon and see if I can't help pick off some of those ticks on Indramon," Piximon looked back down at the rat digimon that was glancing about, "Can I leave you? Are you ok to continue on your own?"

"Heh! I'm a Deva, we won't die at the hands of scum like these!" snapped the rat as he scurried away on his four insect-like legs.

"For being a little guy he sure is confident," chuckled Jewel Beemon.

"AHEM?" Piximon snapped loudly as he looked at the jewel encrusted insect.

"Oh…right…I've got Airdramon to get," said the insect quickly and flew off.

Piximon dropped low. He swept his staff forward smacking away groups of Nanimon and Weedmon. It didn't take long for him to find a group of ninja digimon, wearing blue. Small spherical bodies attached to small arms and legs. They were quick moving and many larger digimon, such as Dark Tyranomon, were being forced to retreat from them.

"You, Kougamon, come with me!" shouted Piximon as he flew.

The blue hooded digimon looked up and nodded. They swept their hands together and did several fast and fancy finger gestures and were gone in a sweeping gust of wind. Piximon smirked as several viral Greymon groaned and staggered as he past, especially since he hadn't attacked them. Piximon would look back to see small flickers of movement as the Kougamon used many of the large digimon like tree limbs or building roofs to leap from. Many times the tactic would lead to the large digimon staggering or being sliced by a glint of sword, but other times they'd barely express any notice to the mosquito like touch of the ninjas.

Piximon quickly buzzed onto the scene in the middle of the frontlines of the battle. A large, lavender, bipedal horse was thrashing around as smaller digimon, looking like large black spiders clambered over its body. Other digimon were gathered around the horse firing blasts of energy up at the humongous equine. A large battle horn was lying on the ground just out of reach of the horse. A huge triceratops was growling as he lunged into the horse's midsection sending the large deva crashing to his backside. The spiders took advantage of this and several leapt down trailing silk after them, creating support lines for a silken coffin.

"Let's get these bugs off Indramon!" shouted Piximon loudly as he slashed forward cutting through at least ten of the spiders. Piximon coughed as a noxious, purple gas erupted from the spiders. The fairy shook his head, "Gah, these Dokugumon have a nasty miasma!"

Where the Dokugumon were lumbering ticks on Indramon, the Kougamon were almost like fleas. They zigged and zagged back and forth bounding from one muscle to the next cutting down the large spiders as they went. Piximon swept around and slammed his staff downward and fired a blast of energy into a group of black Monochromon who were attacking the horse deva. The single horned ceratops digimon retreated instantly as the tiny Ultimate made his appearance apparent. A group of Dark Tyranomon roared at the pink fairy but Piximon swept his staff up in a circle and ensnared the large, black dinosaurs in a bubble. Piximon then smacked his staff against the bubble and sent the small squadron of viral tyrannosaurs jetting off into the distance.

Triceramon glared up at the pixie as the pink digimon merrily swept back and forth through the ranks of Matadormon's digimon sending, sometimes battalions, retreating or into deletion. The gray scaled dinosaur roared loudly and charged towards the pink digimon as it made one of its low passes.

"Tri Horn Attack!" roared Triceramon as his horns extended forward like rapiers.

The fairy digimon almost instantaneous spun around and parried the triceratop's horns with his staff and dove between the hard keratinous weapons. The lively little speck of pink fur then charged forward and lifted his staff like a harpoon, the small metallic arrowhead at the tip of the staff glinted in the last streaks of dusk sunlight. The harpoons sharp tip smashed into Triceramon's left eye, eliciting a horrendous yowl from the gray armored beast.

Piximon shot backward as the exponentially larger dinosaur flailed in pain. The fairy smirked, "That'll teach ya to fight someone your own size! Yep, yep!"

"Piximon…" the low rumble of Indramon's voice filled the air surrounding the fairy, "I must have my horn…"

Piximon turned around. The lavender horse's armor was shattered in places and his blue eyes were tearing up as the noxious gasses from the spiders burned the large optic spheres. Streams of crimson fluid ran down the monstrous biceps of Indramon. The horse's normally white mane was black with the Dokugumons' poisonous miasma. Piximon looked over at the mythically sized, spiked trumpet.

"I can't pick that thing up, it's almost as big as the village I came from!" yelped the fairy as he looked at the horn and then up at Indramon.

"I must have it…if I can get it, I can stop this fight," growled Indramon as he struggled to his feet, swiping off Dokugumon. The Kougamon were still zipping around the large horse, picking off spiders that the deva had missed.

"Maybe we can help…" said the Kougamon as they collected on the horse's left shoulder. "We and our cousins the Ninjamon have long learned to work as one in a group; we can combine our powers and fuse ourselves into one digimon…"

"Unless it's the size of Indramon, I don't think it would help," growled Piximon as he hovered in front of the group of twelve blue hooded ninja.

"You'll see, Master Piximon," said one of the lead Kougamon, "Everyone, squads of three…"

"Right!" saluted the other Kougamon as they leapt off of Indramon in groups of three.

"On my say, initiate fusion!" shouted the lead Kougamon. "NOW!"

"Kougamon, fusion digivolve to," The four groups of three condensed into four lights. "Karatenmon!" Four tengu digimon dove out of the lights and glided down to the horn.

"There is no way you're lifting that thing!" Piximon sniped as he sliced his harpoon through a wave of ascending spiders.

"Watch and see," replied the four tengu as they lifted their hands up, "Tsiugaru…Tsuigaru…rappa. Tsuigaru rappa imaiya! Tsuigaru…Tsuigara rappa…"

Piximon snorted at the pageantry and then he looked closer the horn was lifting. It was already a meter off the ground. A black aura was swirling under the gigantic horn.

"No! Stop them!" shouted Triceramon from his place behind his digimon. A group of blackened Gargomon was running toward the crow swordsmen their Gattling guns raised.

"Pit Bomb!" Piximon charged downward and caused the ground in front of the group of rabbits to explode.

The horn was five meters off the ground and it drifted toward Indramon. The Deva, sensing the horn reached out and clutched it like a long lost child. Triceramon sneered loudly as the horse Deva slung his horn on his shoulder like a rocket launcher.

"Don't stand there like dolts!" shouted Triceramon as he held one of his eyes, "SHOOT HIM, NOW!"

"Nova Blast!" a group of lavender Greymon roared as they released a blaze of black flame.

"Dark Flare!" snarled a group of flaming lizards. Their chocolate black flames flickered as group as they lifted their arms and flung black fire at the horse.

"Volcanic Strike!" roared a group of Monochromon as crimson flames filled the new night air.

"Fire Blast!" growled the remaining Dark Tyranomon as they allowed their flames to join their comrades'

"Poison Thread!" hissed groups of Dokugumon as a lavender mist filled the air.

Indramon growled loudly as the attacks flew toward him and his blue eyes flared bright read. He took up a sturdy stance digging his hind-hooves into the earth.

"Yo, you Karatenmon clear out!" shouted Piximon as he took to the air. The tengu nodded and reverted to their individual Kougamon forms and disappeared in a twister of leaves.

"Horn of DESOLATION!" roared Indramon as the horn on his shoulder started to suck into all the attacks coming towards him. The vacuum grew larger and several of the enemy digimon that were too close got sucked into the horn as well. The horse growled and turned to Triceramon. The large dinosaur looked up with his one eye. The horse sneered angrily at the dinosaur. "Coward, you can't even face me directly, but instead fight me with these, minions…pathetic. Be the first to feel my wrath."

Indramon drew the horn to his lips and the mighty instrument shuddered as a monstrous, rumbling whine erupted through the air. Flames and poison flew through the air at the gray-armored, dinosaur digimon. Triceramon drew his armored arms up in a feeble attempt to block the onslaught of well over forty, powerful Champion digimon. When the blast had past all that was left was a black smear mark where the flames had burned a large streak into the ground. All the digimon ranks to the left and right of Triceramon had been consumed by the attack.

"Retreat!" shouted one of the Dark Tyranomon as the group of black dinosaur turned tail and ran. The Greymon and Dark Lizamon quickly followed the Tyranomons' lead, with the Monochromon not far behind.

"They were smarter than their leader," snorted Indramon as he turned back to the battle behind him.

He saw the fight with Vikaralamon and the two huge digimon set against him. He smashed his way toward that fight. The Mammothmon had locked tusks with Vikaralamon. The skeletal Greymon was leveling bony punches into the side of the hairy swine. Regions of black, viscous fluid shimmered in the growing moonlight, giving away the places where Vikaralamon's Boar Bog had been released. Large craters gave away places were a Fusion Ball had landed. Indramon was about to smash one of his hoofed fists into the back of Mammothmon when a sharp pain jabbed his back.

The lavender horse turned to find a WaruSeadramon rushing toward him, firing bolts of black lightning at him. Indramon huffed angrily and lifted his horn preparing to suck in the bolts of energy when a second dragon swept into his view, greenish black armor covered red skin as the elongated dragon twisted forward. A pair of spheres in his hands glowed brightly and the next thing the horse Deva knew two energy blades were running through his chest and stomach and out his back. Indramon shuddered slightly and his precious battle horn crashed to the ground shattering. Indramon dropped to his knees. He was weaker than he thought. The poison had been more effective that he believed. His body shivered as the green armored dragon stabbed him a third and fourth time. A sweeping motion from the red skinned dragon turned everything black as a blade cut through the thick neck of the horse Deva.

888

"Indramon!" shouted Antylamon as she slammed her axe shaped paws into the head of a Sangloupmon deleting the wolf.

The rabbit Deva leapt over a group of Golemon and slashed through a Knightmon. The chocolate brown fur was damp with sweat and crimson data, both hers and her enemies'.

"It's too late, Antylamon!" shouted a loud voice from behind the rabbit.

It was a large bull faced centaur. Two swords in its hands cut to the side of the large bovine Deva as it instinctually cut down a group of chocolate brown digimon known as J-Mojyamon.

"Make them pay by taking Indramon out of their flesh!" announced a sheep-like centaur that lifted a crossbow and fired five arrows at once deleting five, lank, coyote like digimon.

"Pajiramon, behind you!" screamed Antylamon.

A pink, scythed armed kitsune leapt on the ram's back before the archer could turn, and it sliced clean through the sheep centaur's torso with its blade like limbs. As fast as the pink digimon appeared it disappeared again leaving the top of Pajiramon's body to slide off of the quadruped lower half. The two parts exploded together.

"Bastard!" shouted the bull as it glanced around to find any clue as to the kitsune's whereabouts.

"Vajramon, what was that thing?" Antylamon asked as the rabbit backed up to the bull Deva.

"Kyuukimon…" growled the bull quietly as he walked in slow circles, every once in a while cutting through a near by Bakemon. "A horrible, wizard, spirit, digimon that excels at stealth and cowardly ninja acts…"

"Cowardly but effective," hummed a aged voice as the air in front of Vajramon rippled and a pink, blade-like arm shot forward stabbing the bull in the chest.

"Vajramon!" yelped Antylamon as the rabbit spun around and instantly leapt at the attacker, scrambling over the bull Deva.

Antylamon's axe shaped hand cut through empty air as Kyuukimon disappeared back into the ether. Antylamon turned back to Vajramon. The bull was on its forward knees. His Terra Blades were at his sides.

"Antylamon, run…" whispered Vajramon as he pushed the rabbit Deva, "this fight is lost, you have to run; I'll hold them off as much as I can," Vajramon winced. "You're too young to die in this futile struggle, run!"

"But Vajramon, it's dishonorable," Antylamon looked at the bull Deva sternly, "I cannot commit an act of dishonor…I won't leave your side."

"Idiot, my time is burnt; Kyuukimon hit my digicore…I haven't much time, run!" roared the bull Deva as he pushed the rabbit away from his body. The lank coyote digimon were charging toward the giant bull.

"Get away from him you disgusting Fangmon!" shouted Antylamon as she cut through the coyotes.

Antylamon spun around and paled, as she had been wiping out the Fangmon a pack of Sangloupmon had come in from behind and had tackled the bull deva. Vajramon was pinned to the ground with three of the blood wolves at his neck and two more at his arms. The bull was struggling but the act seemed only to entice more of the dark beasts to arrive and strike. Five more Sangloupmon appeared as specter fog and hung on his back and legs. Their fangs dug into his exposed flesh and the wings on their back flared as the canines released contented groans. The bull roared loudly and his data exploded, totally drained of its life force by the wolves.

Antylamon staggered backward from the scene. Her eyes quivered as terror gripped her heart. Three of her closest friends had just been destroyed in so many minutes. The wolves wafted away on the breeze leaving the immediate area eerily silent. Antylamon trembled quietly drawing her axe shaped hands up in hesitant defense. The Sangloupmon or Kyuukimon could attack from anywhere. The puffy pants the rabbit Deva rubbed against each other as her knees knocked. Her floppy ears twitched and twisted like radar searching for any sign of attack. The distant sound of fighting seemed to fade as she tried to zone in around herself.

"TIGER WING BLADE!" a flaming tiger's face flanked by flaming wings shot over Antylamon's left shoulder.

The rabbit screeched in terror as the hot attack shot past her furry face. Antylamon spun around and fell backward skidding. Kyuukimon had been right behind her preparing to strike. The pink kitsune was lying on the ground a large burn seared on its chest.

"Mi…mi…hiramon…" whispered Antylamon as the winged, tiger deva flew past.

"Watch what you're doing, you'll get killed that way!" shouted the tiger as it flew back into the fray.

Antylamon shook her head hesitantly as she watched the tiger pounce a small horde of Vilemon, slashing them to bits. Antylamon growled and stood up. She leapt into the air and dove back down. She crashed into the tidal wave of Bakemon. She sliced through the sheets in long sweeping arcs.

"This is for Pajiramon!" shouted Antylamon as she charged through a band of Sangloupmon. Crimson arcs swept through the wolves as they exploded into dust. Antylamon leapt into the air and brought her axe hands through the flesh of several Woodmon, chopping the tree digimon to kindling and announced loudly. "This is for Indramon!" The battlefield was bathed in the crimson light of rage. She growled rabidly and leapt for her next target, "This is for Vajramon!"

Antylamon lunged at a four armed demon. Antylamon felt something strike her from behind. She crashed to the ground, but her body didn't strike the ground instead it hung about half a meter from the ground. A long lavender and green, axe-like harpoon was embedded in the ground under her, she was on the rod of the harpoon. She looked up and saw the four armed demon struck down by a blue sledge hammer that spun off and morphed into large, mechanical-looking dog. Bolts of electricity smacked away attacking coyotes as a large chicken flew by. A monkey threw crystal orbs at a group of attacking Tankmon.

"No…Antylamon!" hissed a voice. The rabbit looked up weakly as a white snake slithered forward. "Antylamon…"

"Sandiramon…" whispered Antylamon as she looked up at the white serpent, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What…?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming; I thought I was clear to strike Asuramon," hissed the snake quietly with a little treble in its whispering speech.

"I feel…funny…" whispered Antylamon quietly as her eyes grayed. Her eyes looked up at the sky, "I…can see him. The Great Angel, Cherubimon…" The rabbit lifted her head slowly to the snake, "Sandiramon can you see him?"

The snake's eyes narrowed slightly and he looked away, nodding rapidly. "Antylamon…don't hate me…"

There was a sharp jarring sensation in Antylamon's stomach as her body was lifted and then collapsed on the ground. The rabbit looked up weakly through the pain. Sandiramon held his Venom Axe with his tail. The blade was covered bright red pigment. Antylamon coughed; flecks of red fluid and yellow mucus fell on the ground and then a burst of dark data flew into the air and then there was nothing.

888

Piximon and his troop of Kougamon rushed toward the eastern side of the frontlines. Already an ensemble of aerial digimon were grouped attacking the ground forces below or dog fighting with the digimon in the air. Most of the digimon were Airdramon, in fact all but one of the digimon were Airdramon. The green dragon fire twisting bursts of flames down on groups of black furred Apemon. The lanky apes were scattering from the aerial attacks but their companions, large, dragon beasts turned and fired back.

The dragon beasts lifted their two arms, which ended in heads, one was metallic and serpentine the other was skeletal. Energy orbs formed in the two arm heads and their blunt snouted head on their shoulders filled with energy, which fired together in a focused burst into the sky. The Airdramon flew higher to avoid being struck by the energy strikes. A single figure dropped down and weaved between the attacks of the three headed beasts. It was Jewel Beemon.

The emerald armored wasp summoned up an attack and fired a blast of jewels into the warriors below obliterating several. Piximon groaned as the jewel enhanced insect fired more blasts into the attackers. Piximon rushed as Jewel Beemon drew up the strength for another strike. Piximon looked down and growled. It was as he had expected, the squadron of three headed dragons were just an illusion. Sitting down below was a digimon wrapped in brown robes, a book in one hand. The other hand rose up. A bolt of dark energy fired from the robed digimon's fingertips. Jewel Beemon was too busy attacking the illusions to see the attack. Piximon's wings buzzed even louder, but he couldn't make it. Jewel Beemon's back arched as the dark energy coursed up and down her spine. A second figure stood up behind the brown robed wizard. This digimon had a fox like face and was dressed in lavender robes. He drew up his hand showing a single spell paper. A black gate opened and a plethora of demons roared forward and attacked Jewel Beemon as she tumbled toward the ground.

Piximon fired a Pit Bomb at the two digimon but a large barrier instantly formed around them and they both looked up at Piximon with cold eyes. The Kougamon were swiping through the Apemon like tissue paper. The two digimon turned their eyes to the Kougamon. The digimon in the brown robes lifted his book and turned its pages to the Kougamon. The digimon in lavender robes tilted the spell paper he was holding and pointed it at Piximon. The demons that had been striking Jewel Beemon turned around and charged toward the pink fairy. Piximon gulped and then growled and swung his staff forward releasing several Pit Bombs into the herd of demons. Piximon quickly retreated as the demons smashed through the line of explosive air blasts the fairy had sent toward them. His small black eyes flicked down to look at the Kougamon. Many of them were grabbing onto what rock and vegetation they could, because a massive vortex had formed drawing matter into the book of the brown robed digimon.

Three of the Kougamon were yanked from their grips and were bouncing toward the book. They screamed loudly as they drew closer to the book's oblivion. Piximon moved to intercept but the demons were quick to interfere. Piximon shivered slightly as he watched the impending doom of three, good digimon. All seemed lost for them. He started to turn away when a streak of white fired from the rocky outcropping. The digimon in brown shouted in pain and dropped his book. Piximon looked up. A huge, paper arrow was sticking out of the brown robed digimon's shoulder. Piximon looked up at the rocky outcropping and saw a digimon, nearly identical to the lavender robed digimon, only it was in gold.

"Good shot, Taomon," Piximon whispered to himself. Taomon was standing holding a paper bow and had her hand around a second paper arrow.

The lavender robed digimon seemed to be fuming and swung his hand up and sent a tidal wave of spell papers toward Taomon. The golden robed digimon instantly leapt back behind the rock she'd appeared from. Piximon growled and pointed his staff at the lavender robed digimon. A blast of air shot down at the purpled robed fox. The fox swept its hand back and a second wave flew in Piximon's direction. The fairy flew for safety as the wave of papers pushed through the air pellet.

"This is bad…" growled Piximon as he watched the papers swirl and retract back toward the purple robed digimon. "That paper power is nearly impenetrable…hmm?" Piximon looked up and saw something skirting the edge of the rocks. Piximon frowned slightly as a familiar emerald glint rushed from the rock formations. The two mystic digimon turned toward the charging Jewel Beemon. Piximon growled and charge back down. "Pit Bomb!" A twisting mass of wind shot toward the mystics.

"Spike Buster!" Jewel Beemon fired a spray of jewel shards at the two robed digimon.

Piximon buzzed and flitted between demons who were wandering aimlessly around since the lavender robed fox had released his spell paper. A black smoke was rolling off most of the demons, some had dissolved to nothing. Piximon looked up and smiled as he saw Taomon was again on the wall. The golden robed fox digimon held a large paint brush. She slashed the brush through the air writing out the kanji for Hikari. The symbol glowed brightly and then exploded with a streak of light. The two evil mystics were fast to push forward producing a shield against the light, but this diluted the barrier on the other sides.

Jewel shards exploded through the weakened barrier ripping into the robes of the two evil digimon. The two mystics, realizing their error, looked up at the incoming Pit Bomb and hastily tried to form a barrier against it, but Taomon lifted her brush again and a second Hikari symbol was drawn into the air. A blast of light cut through the two mystics. Burning brown and lavender fabric flew into the air. Taomon leapt down from her hideout and rushed toward Jewel Beemon. The insect digimon was kneeling and breathing hard. Piximon quickly joined them.

"How are you, Jewel Beemon?" Piximon asked quickly.

"I'll be fine, what about you, Taomon?" the insect looked up at the fox.

"I'm fine, but I'm afraid Pandamon was caught by Doumon's paper magic," the golden robed fox sighed, "Hundreds of spell papers flat; their edges at sharp as a sword…he was filleted…"

"No…" whispered Piximon as he looked up at the fox.

"I'm afraid so," sighed Taomon as she stood up, "We need to press them from both sides, now."

"I know, the Devas can't hold out much longer and we're nearly spent," Jewel Beemon nodded. "What shall we do?"

Piximon narrowed his eyes, "We are behind their lines…they've moved on ahead, pushing back the Devas and what Champion digimon the Order could get to protect them…We have to strike them from behind and try to pincher them between us and the Devas."

"Then we shall try," Taomon said quietly as she lifted her arms. A group of white cats and Veggiemon jumped from the rock formations. "Alright, we're going to push against Matadormon's back!"

The digimon standing at the rock formation nodded and jumped down. Taomon, Piximon and Jewel Beemon moved over to the digimon. Jewel Beemon pointed up to the Airdramon and then waved them forward. The green dragons swept down, ahead of the three Ultimates and their collected ground digimon.

"Should we attempt to get ExTyranomon…?" asked Taomon quietly.

"He's on the far side of Matadormon's forces, with the Devas, if anything they'll need ExTyranomon's help," Piximon said sternly. He lifted his staff, "Right, move out!"

The digimon slowly started to march back toward the Order's fortress and strike the back of Matadormon's line.

888

"Ebony Blade!" Black MagnaAngemon sliced his sword forward and a black arc cut a groove into the earth in front of the digi-destined.

"I don't know how you guys got back, or where you went…but I can't let you through. Don't come any closer, guys," Taku shouted from the shoulder of the black angel that swung. "Please, don't come any closer…"

Haru glared up at Jiro and then back at Taku. The smaller boy shook his head and looked up at Taku.

"We don't want to fight you, Taku…" Jiro called from the other side of the line drawn in the sand. "We want to try and make up…we realize we weren't exactly the best friends in the universe and that we understand that you were mad at us, enough to believe Matadormon…"

"It's not that, just don't cross that line!" Taku growled as he looked at the others, "I don't want to have to fight…"

"Then don't!" Ren shouted as glared from behind Cyberdramon's shoulder, "We won't attack if you won't!"

"It's not that simple…" Taku growled as he looked at Ren. "I don't want you guys to get involved…"

"Involved in what?" Kisho looked at Taku accusatively. "What's going on?"

"Matadormon is attacking the Order's fortress, he's winning too," Taku replied with a displeased grunt. "It's my job to make sure things go smoothly…so don't interfere…"

"Taku, you big idiot, we can beat him, if you'd just let us…" Haru growled loudly.

"You don't get it; do you?" Taku snorted angrily, crossing his arms, "Matadormon could probably wipe the floor with us all, alone. I've seen him in action; he outclasses you all, easily. That little beating you gave him at Santa Caria…was all just a show…"

"But…I thought…weren't you protecting him?" Ren blinked and looked at Taku with wide eyes.

"I was…" Taku sighed quietly, "but after…the gate…I figured out what Matadormon was doing…especially when he revealed his plans for the Order invasion…He used me, he used me to get rid of all his problems for him…to make things easier for him."

"Then let us by and we can help Gennai and the others put him down!" Kisho shouted atop of DORUgremon.

"Didn't you hear me?" Taku shouted in return. "Maybe we should talk on the ground; I think you got wind in your ears."

Black MagnaAngemon lowered slowly landing on the ground his back to the fading dusk light. Magnamon, Cyberdramon, DORUgremon and Raptordramon landed facing the last glimmers of the day.

"If we work together we can win," Kisho said as he jumped down from the black and red dragon he had been riding on.

"I can't…I can't fight with you guys; I'm untrustworthy," Taku growled under his breath, "Just turn away and run. Come back in a couple of days, by then Matadormon will have what he wants and will have gone home."

"Taku, we're sorry…" Ren looked up at the black haired boy, "We're really sorry for what we did, for shunning you like we did. We had no right to treat you badly."

"Don't sit there and lie to me…" Taku whispered as he turned his head and glared at the ground.

"Idiot, it's true, we are sorry," Haru said angrily. "You did some bad, stupid things, like joining up with Matadormon but we…" Haru closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "we drove you to it. It's as much our fault as yours, so stop your pity and look us in the eyes."

Taku looked up at the blonde haired, older Samson brother, "I'm still compromised, if I defy Matadormon…"

"We'll back you up," Jiro looked at Taku.

"We won't let Matadormon do anything to you; we're here with you on this one!" Ren jumped down. She took a step forward.

"Don't take another step…" Taku growled. Ren stopped and glared at Taku and lifted her foot. Taku clenched his fist, "I'm serious."

"So am I!" replied Ren as she took another step and then another step.

"Don't come any closer!" Taku sneered as he looked up at Black MagnaAngemon. Ren continued to walk forward. Taku growled and clenched his fists, "DON'T DO IT…"

Ren grasped Taku's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. The boy's eyes widened in absolute shock. Ren hugged him tight, "I'm so sorry that we treated you so badly…Taku please forgive us…"

"I…I…" Taku stammered quietly as stood paralyzed in Ren's arms. His petrified facial features slowly thawed and his looked at Haru, Kisho and Jiro, "I…am sorry that I was so hard to deal with…"

"It's ok," Ren whispered quietly as she drew away from Taku, "We forgive you."

Jiro walked up to Taku, "Do you forgive us?"

Taku looked at the others. His eyes passed over them and he looked down again.

"Well?" Haru hopped down from Raptordramon and walked next to Kisho. The blonde looked up at Taku, "if you think we're going to beg for your forgive…uhn…" Haru grunted as Kisho put an elbow in his stomach. Haru glared at Kisho, but the brunette only tightened his lips. Haru sighed and looked at Taku, "Are you going to forgive us or what?"

"That could've been more tactful…" whispered Ren quietly.

"Don't expect much, my brother can be stubborn…" replied Jiro quietly.

Taku looked up at Ren and Jiro and giggled slightly, "He has a point…getting that much from Haru is probably like getting a golden embossed letter of apology from the emperor…"

Jiro and Ren looked up at Taku with hopeful eyes. Ren clenched her hands over her white shirt and hopped up and down, causing her skirt to ruffle.

Jiro beamed happily up at Taku, "Does that mean you forgive us?"

"Yes," Taku nodded.

"YAY!" Ren shouted as she spun around and clutched Jiro's green windbreaker and swept him up in a spinning bear hug.

"Yes!" Kisho smiled with a nodding motion. He poked the shoulder of Haru's blue shirt and smirked. "We did it…"

"Yes, we did…it seems," Haru smiled quietly.

"STRIKE HIM DOWN NOW!" shouted a voice. The children looked up in shock as flaming apparitions of thousands of cats yowled at Black MagnaAngemon. The angel hadn't time to react when the cats swarmed his body.

"Black MagnaAngemon!" yelped the children as the angel glowed with dark energy as he swatted at fiery cats.

The cats disappeared turning into bad smelling smoke. All that was left was a very dazed DemiDevimon. Taku sighed in relief as he looked at the rounded bat. A blur flashed past Taku, knocking him to the ground. Taku looked up and his pupils shrunk to an almost imperceptible size. DemiDevimon was hanging in the air in the middle of one single silent shriek of pain. Silk sleeves and leggings wafted elegantly as one hand, outstretched with claws extended, slowly returned to the side of the thin, lank body of Matadormon.

Taku trembled and watched as the left wing of DemiDevimon disappeared into a burst of dust, followed by a leg. The other wing exploded and then finally DemiDevimon's body and his blankly gazing eyes disappeared as one single poof of black data. Taku looked up in terror as Matadormon turned slowly, his golden eyes piercing the black haired boy's chest and soul.

"You should not have tried to turn against me…" whispered Matadormon quietly. He looked at the other digi-destined, who were still too much in shock and confusion to be of any use to anyone. His eyes returned to Taku. Matadormon's claws were covered in red and the silk clad digimon slowly drew the bladed fingers across his face. "Strong data…a pity I couldn't have used him as a reservoir for my hunger…" Matadormon lifted his claws, "though, I have never had human data before…I wonder if there is a difference…"

Taku was shaking; his body was numb his. The only thing that was in his mind was the image of DemiDevimon hanging there in suspended death. It was a picture burned into his mind by shock and confusion. His heart exploded in his ears and he could feel his pulse in the back of his eyes.

Matadormon took a step forward, his crimson hakama pants shifted very little as he moved forward. His claws slid upward and then pointed at Taku. The long sleeves of Matadormon's pink top wavered slightly as Matadormon twisted his hand lining his claws up for the strike.

"Die!" hissed Matadormon as his arm jabbed forward.

"TAKU NO!"

The other children and their digimon gasped. Streaks of red flew up in curling arcs as the crimson fluid escaped its owner. Taku felt his body pushed back and another body fall on top of him. Matadormon looked at his blood stained claws and then down again. Taku looked down, and lying on top of him was a blonde haired child. Four, large red punctures were in the child's shoulder, viscous, red ooze leaked from the punctures. Taku gulped as a pair of brown eyes looked up at him.

"I told you we'd back you up, Yoshida-san…" Jiro whispered quietly with a weak smile.

"Jiro!" Haru shouted loudly. He glared up at Matadormon. "It's one thing that you manipulate one of our friends, it's another thing when you hurt my brother!"

Haru's crest burned brightly and the large, cyborg dragon behind him glowed and morphed into a bronze swordsman. The swordsman drew two blades and crossed them, his eyes glaring angrily at Matadormon.

"You won't get away with this, Matadormon!" growled Magnamon loudly as the golden knight clenched his fists.

"Get him," growled Kisho as he looked up at DORUgremon, "don't hold back, crush him until there is nothing left…"

"You heard Kisho…" Ren said as she looked up at Cyberdramon, "Tear him to shreds don't leave a piece of him intact."

"Jiro…what did you do?" Taku looked down in horror at the quickly expanding crimson stain on the boy's green windbreaker.

"I had to protect you, you're special…" whispered Jiro quietly as he laid his head on Taku's shoulder, "Like me…" Taku felt the little boy's hand moving between them. Taku then felt something being pushed into his own hand. "We have to stick together right?"

"Magna Blast!" streaks of light sliced forward from Magnamon's armor.

"Crossing Blade!" A glowing X escaped the crossed swords of Grademon, the bronze swordsman.

"Desolation Claw!" The black armored dragon sliced her claws forward and shot an emerald burst at Matadormon.

Matadormon crossed his clawed hands over his chest and was pushed back by the attacks. DORUgremon rose into the air. The red and black dragon flared its silver wings.

"Metal Meteor!" Silver pellets struck Matadormon.

The silk clad digimon leapt backward in backflips and twisting leaps. The long sleeves twisted and spun with his movements. He smirked as the destined digimon charged.

"Fools…" chuckled Matadormon. He extended his arms out form his bodies and flattened his claws into a line.

He leapt forward and dropped his claws to the ground. Sparks streamed behind the metallic claws. The metal glowed brightly and then he swiped one hand in a sharp arc. A flaming arc cut across Grademon. The swordsman rolled backward yowling as he grabbed his chest. Matadormon's other hand sliced in the opposite direction. Cyberdramon roared in pain as she flew backward in flames. Matadormon then leapt upward as Magnamon planted a punch into the ground, where the cloaked digimon had been. Magnamon looked up in shock. Matadormon dropped downward and swept a kicked into the side of DORUgremon. Matadormon then fluidly pushed off and twisted into the air. Magnamon growled and kicked off the ground after Matadormon.

Taku winced as he saw Matadormon parry and dodge the attacks from the golden warrior. A little hand tightened around his own, the one that had something in it. Taku slowly pulled his hand up and looked in. It was a tag and crest. Taku looked at Jiro quietly.

"What's this?" Taku asked as he looked at the blonde haired boy.

"It's your tag and crest…" whispered Jiro quietly. "Your tag and Crest of Kindness…"

"Magna Blast!" roared Magnamon as Matadormon skid backward as the light struck the undead digimon's crossed claws. "You're going to pay for hurting my partner, Matadormon!"

"Vampire Dance!" a crimson whip flashed out and sliced through the armor of Magnamon.

"Bastemon…" Matadormon grinned as the lynx woman walked from the bush.

"Matadormon," the lynx inclined her head as she twisted her wrist and planted Magnamon in the ground.

"You two take the new one…" grunted Grademon as he stood up clutching the still glowing streaks on his chest, "I'll deal with Matadormon…"

"Right!" Cyberdramon and DORUgremon nodded.

Grademon charged forward, his swords held slightly behind him. Cyberdramon and DORUgremon charged the lynx woman.

"My Crest of Kindness…?" whispered Taku as he looked at the pendant. Jiro whimpered in pain. Haru and Kisho ran over to him and gently pulled him from Taku. Taku looked up at Jiro. The boy's face was pale, his eyes were slightly glazed. Taku scooted back and felt something warm on his chest. He looked down his shirt was bathed in Jiro's blood. "Kindness…?" His hands shook again and he stood up staggering and turned and ran.

"Damn it…" growled Haru as Taku ran.

"Maverick!" a sharp snapping sound was heard and then bolts of energy flew into DORUgremon's body. A demon flew forward. It was wearing a pinstriped suit and was carrying a machine gun.

"Deep Sorrow!" A wave of darkness washed around Bastemon and merged to break on top of Cyberdramon.

The black dragon was sent head over heals backward by the tidal wave of shadows. A thin, devil like creature in white, skin tight body armor rose from the forest behind Bastemon. Large red wings covered the newborn stars.

"Grade Slash!" Grademon snarled, as he lunged his sword forward.

Matadormon leapt back and caught the blade between his claws. Grademon tugged but the sword was held fast in the claws. The bronze swordsman sliced with his other blade, only to get it caught in Matadormon's other claw enhanced hand. Matadormon forced Grademon's arms open and then slammed a knee into Grademon's chest. Matadormon then released the swords forcing Grademon to fall backward. The silk clad digimon then leapt backward and glided over to where his comrades were.

"Allow me, to introduce you to my, allies," Matadormon chuckled as he swept his hand back. He pointed to the lynx woman, "Bastemon," lifted his arm and pointed to the pinstriped demon, "Astamon," Matadormon then pointed above his head to the devil, "NeoDevimon…"

The destined digimon glared up at the four evil digimon.

"We're not done yet, Matadormon," growled Magnamon as he lifted to his feet.

"I think you are…" chuckled Matadormon as he looked over the group of battered and beaten digimon.

"Where's the other brat, Taku," growled NeoDevimon as he looked around.

"It matters not," said Matadormon quietly, "His digimon has been dealt with, and that's all that truly matters…"

"Should we off 'em?" Astamon asked as he lifted his machine gun and pointed it at the children.

"They are no threat," Matadormon said quietly.

"No threat?" growled Magnamon as he leapt forward and clenched a fist. "Magna Punch!"

"Maverick!"

"Deep Sorrow!"

"Vampire Dance!"

Magnamon crashed to the ground in a heap. His hand shakily clutched the ground before energy swept over his body and he reverted to Agumon. Matadormon laughed heartily.

"I am not Baronmon…don't underestimate my power," Matadormon turned from the rest of the children and looked at the three other warlords. "Let us return to the Order's Fortress, I am sure we have been victorious there as well."

Matadormon started to walk into the forest. The three digimon nodded and followed Matadormon.

"You can't turn your back on us!" shouted Haru loudly as he glared up at the quartet of demon digimon.

The digimon didn't listen. They turned and disappeared into forest, leaving the children in the darkness of the night.

"We lost…" Ren whispered quietly.

"The fight isn't over yet," Kisho growled. "We have to get to the Order's fortress and turn the tide…we have to get Jiro to a doctor…"

"We have to stop this bleeding…" Ren whispered as she knelt down. The wounds were large and the blood was now everywhere. "And fast…"

"What about Taku?" Grademon asked as he looked down at Haru.

"Ren, Kisho, take Jiro to the Order's fortress…" Haru said quietly as he walked up to Grademon, "I'll find Taku…"

"Are you sure?" Kisho and Ren looked at the blonde boy.

"Yes, now go!" Haru growled. He climbed up on Grademon's back and pointed east, "He went that way, Grademon…let's make it fast!"

"Right," growled the swordsman as he leapt into action.

"We don't have much time," Kisho said as he picked Jiro up, cradling the small boy in his arms.

"Go with Cyberdramon, Agumon and I will follow with DORUgremon," Ren said as she ran to the small, fallen tyrannosaur. "Cyberdramon is faster and can dodge the crossfire easier than DORUgremon."

"Right," Kisho nodded, as Cyberdramon picked up the boy. "Hopefully when we get there it's not too late…"

888

Matadormon touched down at the edge of the forest and looked out. A scorched wasteland was the remains of the battleground. Digimon were lined up against the fortress doors. They were pounding on the door to nearly no result. He snorted loudly as he leapt toward the fortress. The leapt down in front of the door and growled. He was too close to be wasting time at this door.

"Lord Matadormon!" shouted a Bakemon as the four warlords approached the battle. "We've been victorious! The Devas are destroyed, the allied forces have retreated! We are currently trying to enter the fortress!"

"Allow me…" said Matadormon as he walked past. Astamon, Bastemon and NeoDevimon followed him as he walked to the gates of the fortress. He looked up at the large wooden door and smirked. His long clawed hands drew together as if in prayer and then he leapt straight upward and landed in a sweeping, kick. "Butterfly Trumpet Kick!"

A streak of energy shot from the ground causing the earth to explode to life and then exploded into the door. The door and wall of the fortress shook as the energy washed out into the shape of a large butterfly. Matadormon nodded and walked slowly to the door and tapped it with a claw. The huge wooden structure fell inward. Dust and smoke wafted from the opening, followed by laser fire. Streaks of light cut into Matadormon's shoulder and arm. The digimon growled and looked up at where the lasers were coming from, automated gun turrets. Matadormon growled and lifted his clawed hand. Thousands of tiny blades fired from his sleeve and the turrets exploded.

"My, my, using your special attacks," said NeoDevimon quietly.

"I am too close to my goal to play these…games," growled Matadormon as he walked into the fortress. He turned to the army behind him, "Go back to the palace, I will return soon…"

"But what if there are defenders?" asked one of the Bakemon.

"Do you not think I can take care of myself?" asked Matadormon quietly. He looked at Bastemon, Astamon and NeoDevimon, "Plus, I have these three with me." Matadormon turned, "Let us go, I wish to get what I came for."

Matadormon walked sternly into the fortress. Bastemon and Astamon looked at each other hesitantly. NeoDevimon snorted in annoyance and followed Matadormon. Astamon and Bastemon followed the devil slowly.

They entered the palace. The corridors were bathed in red light. Matadormon snorted in annoyance as they walked. Suddenly NeoDevimon yelped as his arms burned bright red. Bastemon and Astamon were next as they were tackled by invisible forces.

"Fools, do you think I cannot see you?" Matadormon slashed his claws out and two humanoids fell to the ground, their beige robes stained red.

Matadormon turned around and leapt at Bastemon and Astamon and sliced above them, causing more humanoids to phase into existence. NeoDevimon growled as his body was hit by pulses of energy coming from and invisible source. Matadormon leapt forward and swept his claws up in an uppercut and caught a humanoid by its robes.

"How…How can you see through the digital barrier?" shouted the humanoid.

It was a male. He had red hair and brown eyes. His eyes were wide in fear and sweat trailed down the side of his cheek. A gun was in his hand. The man tried to lift it but Matadormon sliced upward with his free hand and the man's gun fell to the ground with the rest of his arm.

"I am not so easy to deceive," growled Matadormon quietly as the man screamed, "I take great offense at this insult to my senses. Now, tell me…where is the Dark Digimental?"

"I…I…" the man stammered loudly. Matadormon smashed him against the wall of the corridor and brought his claws up to the man's face.

"Where. Is. The. Digimental?" asked Matadormon in slow, annoyed breaths. "Tell me or I shall slowly tear the flesh from your face…"

"I…I…" gasped the man loudly. Matadormon's claw sliced down cutting a streak of red down the man's face. "Master Gennai took it to Earth to the home of the humans to keep it from you!"

"Take me to it," growled Matadormon quietly.

"I can't…he's not in this world, he went to a different world using the gate portal…" said the man loudly.

"Then take me to this gate," growled Matadormon as he tossed the man on the floor. "Any attempt to trick me will result in your quick demise."

The man grunted as he got to his feet with one hand. He clenched the bleeding orifice where his arm had been and staggered down the hall. Matadormon and the others followed the man. Down stairs and winding halls, the man staggered. Dimensional distortions warped the world around them but the man continued to stagger forward, unaffected by them. Finally they came to a large room. Several members of the Order were standing in the doorway, laser guns lifted.

"Don't move any farther," shouted one of the humanoids at the door.

"Your weapons are useless," Matadormon said as he walked forward.

"No further!" shouted a male humanoid as he pressed the trigger.

Streaks of light fired forward. Matadormon snorted and moved his hands flashing his bladed fingers against the lasers and slapping them back at the humanoid. The man fell backward, a laser burn in his chest. The others gasped in surprise. They narrowed their eyes and opened fire. Matadormon slipped between laser beams and slapped many back at their owners. Finally he leapt in front of one of the humanoids, a female and picked her up by the front of her robes and turned to the others.

"Let us through, or I shall butcher one of your own in front of you," growled Matadormon as his eyes flickered a bloody red. "Do not test my patience…if I have to I will destroy all of you!" The other Order members dropped their weapons and backed away. Matadormon nodded and then looked at the woman. "Do you know how to operate the gate?"

"I'm not allowed to let digimon…Uhn!" The woman groaned as Matadormon stabbed one of his sword like fingers into her underarm.

"That is not what I asked," growled Matadormon. He slowly twisted his finger, "Can you open the gate?"

"YES!" screamed the woman loudly.

"Thank you…" Matadormon withdrew his claw.

Matadormon slowly walked forward holding the woman in front of him by her robes. The digimon with him followed, looking at each other in shock. Matadormon had never shown such brutality towards any being before. Even his enemies he had merely crushed, but he had never enacted such torturous methods to any of their recollection.

He walked into the room beyond the door and tossed the woman to the ground. She stood up and looked up at the digimon dressed in silk. Her eyes were watery and her hands shook slightly.

"Please don't kill me..." the woman whimpered as she looked up at Matadormon with her brown eyes.

"Open the gate," was all Matadormon said. The woman nodded and stood, running to a cabinet and pulling out a deck of cards. She then ran to a pedestal in the middle of the room.

"No, Athiel, don't!" shouted one of the Order.

Matadormon glared back, and the group of humanoids shrunk back in fear. He saw a pair of the humanoids was attending to the male that Matadormon had amputated. The woman shook silently as she placed cards on the surface of the pedestal. She sighed and put one last card down. A pair of two large, metallic doors started to pen. Matadormon and his comrades covered their eyes from the light as the doors opened.

"Go," Matadormon commanded Bastemon, Astamon and NeoDevimon.

"What?" the digimon looked up in shock.

"GO! I will not leave you behind…" Matadormon said angrily. The other digimon looked at each other and then slowly walked toward the gate. Their shadows slowly disappeared into the light. Matadormon walked forward and stopped at the pedestal where the woman was standing, "If this is a trick, trust me when I say I will come back and personally turn you into living ground beef…"

The woman nodded slowly as the digimon walked into the light and disappeared. The doors of the gate slowly closed behind the digimon, leaving the Order, shaken, beaten and brutalized.

"Let's get you to the med lab," said one of the men as he grasped the woman's hand.

The woman jumped slightly and then looked at the man and nodded as he led her away.

888

"Oh no…" whispered Kisho quietly as Cyberdramon dove toward the smoking walls of the fortress.

"It looks like whatever it was Matadormon wanted; he got," Cyberdramon announced.

"There is no time for that; let's get Jiro down there fast. He's not breathing real well," Kisho said as he looked down at Jiro, wheezing quietly in his arms.

Cyberdramon nodded and dropped down flying toward a small landing area behind the fortress walls.

**888**

**AN: This is one heck of a chapter to try and write. I wasn't sure how long it should be and thought about pushing it to another chapter, but I think this works better. I guess this one was hard to write and I'm entirely sure if I like it completely… Umm Matadormon's attack Butterfly Trumpet Kick is well it isn't official yet so the official may not be that but it's a rough translation, evidently…I don't think I'll say much about this chapter…leave that to you to yell at me about…**

**Blue: Eh not the mistake you thought it was. I just didn't add the comma**.** It's supposed to be "He attacks his friends, he's not kind…he's cruel, a monster"**

**It may be shiny…It may be…**

**Dark: Thanks… **


	32. A Plan is Hatched

**I don't own digimon**

**A Plan is Hatched**

**888**

"Why won't it come out?" Taku growled softly as he raked his white knuckled hands against the black fabric of his shirt, repeatedly submerging the garment in the cold flow of a small stream. "Why does everything end in pain…for me? Why do I have to have this shadow over my heart?" Taku glared down at the shirt, the rose colored stain splotched on the left side, near the stomach. The black haired boy slumped back and glared at the star filled sky. His eyes grew hard and he screamed loudly to the stars, "Who gave you the right to put someone through this?"

Getting no answer, Taku snorted and growled and returned to angrily raking his blushing fingers over the soaked surface of his shirt. His hands and arms were trembling, partially from the frigid water and night air but mostly from the combined sight of seeing DemiDevimon cut down and Jiro ran through. Taku bit his lip. He had just sat there and watched as DemiDevimon was killed. There was nothing he could've done. It had happened so fast and then it just lingered there. The lifeless agonized gaze of his best friend hung in the air like some demented plush toy, its mouth agape and its eyes wide, filled with the horror that it knew was coming.

Taku closed his eyes and bit his lip. His body trembled quietly as the vision flared in his mind. Suddenly his stomach lurched upward and he grabbed his abdomen and his body dropped forward. The caustic bile shot up his throat from his stomach and flew into the river in a messy sounding splash as half-liquefied chucks and caustic digestive fluid contacted the waters' surface. Taku crouched there clutching his shirt to his chest, breathing in large, airy gasps waiting for the next spasm to send his stomach lurching into his chest. He coughed, dislodging caught hunks of this and that, spitting them into the water.

"Everyone's blood is on my hands…" Taku whispered quietly. His eyes watered as the harsh, burning stench of remaining vomit burned the back of his nose. He glared at the ground, where two small pendants lay. "Everyone got hurt because of me…and then they have the audacity to…give me that…"

His head pulsed and shook his skull back and forth. The world bounced as he did this and then his stomach, as if offended by this act, struck out again, forcing Taku to cringe and drop on his hands, ejecting more his past meal into the cold swirl of the river. He coughed and spat and then breathed haggardly. Taku fell back and lay on the ground. He turned his head to the right, where the two pendants lay. The pink colored tag and crest laying over the black tag and crest. They rested innocently, the moonlight gently reflecting off their surfaces.

"Bastards…why can't they do this on their own?" Taku hissed loudly as he looked back up at the sky. The stars twinkled quietly. "And you sit there on your high and mighty butts and laugh as we flounder through it all…"

Taku's ears pricked and he narrowed his eyes as a familiar noise filled the night air. The howls of wolves twisted in the air, but not just the howls of any wolves, the sounds of Sangloupmon. His fists clenched weakly as the lonely echoes of the howl rang in his ears. It was a hunting call. His time with Matadormon had taught him the little subtleties of the Sangloupmon packs. They probably already struck and wounded whatever it was they were chasing.

He growled as he thought about it. The vampire wolves would attack their prey and take first blood, this would lead them onward. Like a miner chasing the vein of gold, the Sangloupmon would trail behind their prey, following the blood that it dripped as it ran, waiting for it to lose enough blood to be too weak to resist. When they would finally make their move, they would only capture the prey, and would even work to heal the prey. The wolves would then stow the poor creature away to serve them as a reservoir of blood. The prey could live on for months, as the Sangloupmon tend to it, giving it food and water to facilitate blood production.

Taku shivered quietly as he heard another long howl. Whatever they were chasing must be pretty much beat. The howls were close, and filled his ears. He could even hear the louder yips and yelps of the individuals as they galloped and glided through the forest surrounding him.

"Please…don't kill me!" shouted a loud voice. "If anyone's out here, help me!"

Taku froze. The prey wasn't just an animal, it was a digimon. The underbrush in the forest rustled. The sound was haphazard; the prey's feet were unevenly smashing over leaves and twigs, sending sharp crackles and snaps in the air in unpredictable intervals. Taku stood up slowly.

"Help me, please…." The voice shouted in a loud whimper.

Suddenly the sound of leaves rubbing against ground and each other hissed through the trees. The howls grew louder and then frantic crackling filled the air.

Taku's fingers clenched, "I have to…do something; I can't let any more blood spill because I didn't do anything…"

Taku looked around. His eyes fell on a large tree branch that had broken from its parent tree. The boy ran over to the branch and haphazardly ripped the smaller twigs from the branch and then ran forward, leaving his shirt and tags and crests behind as he ran into the stream, crossing its knee deep depths to the other side. He grumbled as he kicked the excess water from him, while continuing to run forward. His feet squished loudly as he charged forward. The voice continued to yell for help and the howls started to surround Taku. Every few seconds he would catch a canine in the corner of his eyes or would see an area of unnatural fog sweep along the periphery of his vision, just out of sight to allow him to confirm that it was really there or not.

"Help me!" shouted the voice. The sound of a wave of leaves being upset filled the air again. Taku could hear the sound of husky growls rolling into existence. A terror filled gasp wafted between the trees, "No! Stay back!"

Up ahead he could see them. The gray wolves were collected, some were standing on the branches of the trees looking down; some were slinking on the ground. The wings on their backs were extended in excitement.

"Please! Please! My brother…the others, they're depending on me!" shouted the voice in soft whimpers.

"He said 'get away'!" shouted Taku as he leapt forward swinging his branch like a giant club.

He caught one of the wolves in the left side of its ribs. It yelped in surprise and pain, and instantly morphed into a fount of fog and shot into the air. The other wolves growled and jumped back as Taku skidded into the clearing. He twirled the branch between his hands and then held it diagonally across his chest. The large, gray canines growled in annoyance, baring their long, ivory fangs threateningly.

"You saved me…" whispered the voice behind Taku.

The boy snapped a look back. It was a small humanoid digimon; it wasn't much taller than Jiro. All he could really see was a blue cape wrapped around its left thigh.

"Don't celebrate yet," Taku growled as he glared at the wolves.

Suddenly a large wolf leapt down from the trees, it's long, sickle-like claws extended. Taku hopped back and twisted his branch sharply upward and sweeping the makeshift staff under the wolf's chin as it landed. The wolf yelped and skidded backward. Its eyes narrowed and it growled to the others. The other Sangloupmon lowered their heads and their lips curled upward as they snarled at Taku in unison.

"Run," shouted the digimon loudly. "Get out…they want me, if you…"

"Shut up," snapped Taku loudly. "You can't shout for help and then tell it to run when it comes."

"They'll kill you!" shouted the digimon loudly as it stood shakily.

"Just stay back and shut up!" shouted Taku as he snapped one end of the branch into the jaw of a wolf that leapt forward, repelling the beast. "You have no idea the cruelty these things will put you through if they get you."

The branch snapped in the other direction cracking against the hard mandible of another Sangloupmon. Another crack shot through the air as the branch's pointed end smashed into the sternum of another wolf. It howled loudly as he skidded into the ground and didn't get up. The other wolves glared at their comrade as it laid there groaning in pain.

"You got one…" whispered the digimon behind Taku.

One of the wolves walked slowly to its fellow pack mate. The stricken wolf growled and whimpered as the standing wolf touched noses. The standing wolf lifted its head and looked up at the rest of the back and made a small yapping sound.

"Yeah, that's right, and there's a heck of a lot more where that's coming from, you might as well get your furry butts moving!" Taku growled loudly as he shook his branch. The wolves glared at Taku and stepped back.

"Is it working?" whispered the digimon behind Taku.

"Be quiet," snarled Taku as he glared at the Sangloupmon.

The wolves looked up angrily at Taku and collectively snarled. Suddenly their claws flashed forward and the whole pack launched forward as one.

"Shhhiii…" Taku started as the wolves pounced. Claws pinned Taku to the ground. He felt the weight of the wolves pressing on his ribs. Claws scraped his skin.

"No!" the muffled voice of the digimon called.

"Get off of me…" grunted Taku as he struggled, but his movements only dug the wolves' claws in deeper. Taku sighed and dropped back closing his eyes in defeat.

He could hear the voice of the digimon shout as the growls of the wolves increased. They howled loudly and then Taku felt one of the wolves' noses against his neck. He shudders as the fangs started to rub against his skin.

"Get off him!" shouted a voice. Taku's eyes opened in shock. "Grade Slash!"

His fur-filled vision cleared as the wolf on top of him disappeared into dust. A sword swiped inches above his face and another set of howls and yelps filled the air. A bronze swordsman leapt over Taku's vision. Taku winced as he tried to sit up.

"Are you ok?" Taku grimaced as he looked up and saw Haru running forward.

"What are you doing here?" Taku growled as he looked up at the blonde.

"To get you, we can't do anything without you," returned Haru as he knelt down next to Taku. The wolves were howling in background as Grademon slashed his way through the pack. Haru held up his hand and two pendants hung from his fingers, "and you can't do anything without these."

"Don't hand me those, I don't deserve either one," Taku growled as he backed away from the tags and crests.

"What are you talking about?" Haru growled as he pushed his hand forward trying to force the tags and crests on Taku.

"The Crest of Darkness is too strong in my hands; I can't let it control me…" Taku retorted as he skidded back, "and the Crest of Kindness has no reason to be in my grasp…"

Taku continued to slide back and finally bumped into something behind him. He turned and looked down. Huddled on the ground was a humanoid digimon, a torn blue cloak was limply hung on his shoulders and a hat was slumped on his golden hair, which was, now, unbraided in the back.

"Don't be an idiot, how can you say that the Crest of Kindness doesn't belong to you," growled Haru loudly. "When I find you, you're under a dog pile of bloodthirsty wolves, trying to protect this injured digimon…Why?"

"The Sangloupmon, they were going to use him as a big bag of food," whispered Taku as he looked at the gray faced digimon. "They'd have left him strung up, barely alive…until they had drained him dry, or he'd die from sheer lack of will…I couldn't let anyone suffer that cruel of a death…No one deserves that torment…not even me…"

"Thank you, my friend," whispered the digimon as he bowed slowly, "I am Wizardmon, from File Island. I have come to search for the Order…I thank you for your kindness…"

Taku snorted as he turned and looked at Haru. The blonde was looking down at his hands. Taku's eyes followed Haru's arms down to his fingers and then down a pair of strings to a pair of pendants. One was glowing soft pink; the other was covered in a blackened aura.

"They are glowing, huh?" Taku growled as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, they are," Haru replied as Grademon finally returned behind the blonde. "See, they are reacting to you…"

"How can that happen," Taku snarled, "I'm evil, I destroyed the Order, I ripped the digi-destined apart and let them get beat by Matadormon…as I speak Matadormon is probably retaking the digimental from the Order's headquarters…"

"No…" Wizardmon whispered, "I was supposed to find the Order, so I could get help against Baronmon…do you mean to say that my search for them has been for nothing, that nothing can free File Island from the Armored digimon…My brother, Sorcerymon was right…it was a silly plan…"

"Huh?" Haru looked up at Wizardmon.

"Heh, you've really fallen out of the loop," Taku replied as he took the tags and crests from Haru and held them up. "We defeated Baronmon nearly two and half months ago."

"Sorcerymon was your brother?" Haru gulped and looked down.

"What?" Wizardmon looked up at the blonde and then to Taku, "What happened?"

"Sorcerymon…well," Haru looked down, "He didn't make it, he tried to protect my brother and well, Baronmon killed him…"

"No…" Wizardmon looked up at Haru and then looked down and sighed, "Actually, that's probably what he wanted…he was always tormented after he lost his friends in the wars…he always felt it was his fault…" Wizardmon sniffled and closed his eyes, "but, he's happy now, and that's what truly matters…"

"Guys, we should get to the Order's fortress, if the fight's still going on, Cyberdramon and DORUgremon will need our help," Grademon said loudly.

"He's right," Haru nodded and looked at Taku, "Come on, we'll take you to the fortress, maybe they can fix those wounds…"

"You too, Wizardmon," Taku snorted as he grabbed the blue wizard's hand and pulled him over toward Grademon.

The bronze swordsman lifted Haru to his shoulder, the boy held on to a one of a pair of large spikes that jutted up from Grademon's shoulder. Taku looked up at Grademon as the swordsman moved forward.

"I can't go, I must go back to File Island, and help rebuild, if Baronmon is defeated things will be in chaos," Wizardmon pulled against Taku's grip weakly. "I have to go see if Sorcerymon was reincarnated at Primary Village…"

"No, you don't," Taku growled as he yanked Wizardmon back, "You're coming; I'm not letting you go, you're hurt, and there are probably a lot of Sangloupmon and other bad digimon out tonight. So shush it, and let's go!" Taku stopped and looked down at the two warmly glowing crests. "I lost someone already because I was stupid; I'm not losing someone else…"

The energy of the two crests intensified and from the two pendants. Haru, Grademon, Wizardmon and Taku took a step back, as the energy twisted around itself. A rose light erupted and swept outward like a small super nova. The group of spectators closed their eyes and then opened them, lying on the ground was a large egg. Its shell was black with pink striping.

"A digi-egg…" Wizardmon whispered as he walked forward. The wizard picked up the egg. It glowed brightly and lifted out of the wizard's hand and hovered to Taku.

"What's going on?" Haru asked in an airy, confused voice.

"All digimon come from digi-eggs, and when a digimon dies, its data is scanned for malevolent energy and if the malevolence level is low enough it's reconstituted as a digi-egg, so that the digimon is reborn…" Wizardmon explained quietly, "Most digimon never truly die, they just return to Primary Village as digi-eggs…"

"That's what you meant by reincarnated at Primary Village," Haru looked at the wizard digimon. Wizardmon nodded and inspected the egg.

"Then that means…" Taku looked at the egg. He hesitated and he took a deep breath, "that means that this is…"

"DemiDevimon…" Haru said quietly. Taku closed his eyes and smiled, hugging the egg. Haru coughed quietly. "We should be going, Kisho and Ren may need us, and you guys need to get bandaged…"

Wizardmon and Taku nodded and Grademon lifted them to his other shoulder. The bronze swordsman then turned and started to run.

888

"He's lucky," said one of the Order members as she rewrapped the bindings on Jiro's shoulder. "The blades missed the main portions of the brachiocephalic artery and the subclavian, any further in any direction and he'd have bled to death…but specifically any further right and he'd have punctured a lung…"

"He's not going to die then?" Kisho asked as he looked up at the green eyed woman. The woman hung the stethoscope she was holding over her shoulders and smiled.

"Nope, he'll be fine," said the woman quietly. "I'm giving him a lot of iron and calcium right now, he'll need to sleep and rest, but we repaired the muscle damage done to his latissimus and deltoid muscles. He should be up and around, nearly as good as new, in a few days…"

"He lost a lot of blood though…" Renamon looked at the blonde haired boy as he slept.

"That'll be replaced pretty quickly," replied the woman as she gently ran her hand over the boy's hair. "He's still young, so his body should replace blood pretty fast. All he needs is food, rest and some mineral supplements. He'll be fine, trust me."

"Well, then what about Matadormon…" Ren asked as she looked up.

The woman frowned and looked back at two of the Order who were in a couple of beds further down the aisle of the medical facility. One was missing an arm; the other was curled up on her bed, hugging her legs.

"Frankly I hope he crashed down in some horrible place and was torn to bits," spat the woman as she turned, "but if you want some sort of tactical report then you better go upstairs and talk to Luminel and Rathiel…"

Kisho and Ren nodded and the woman walked away. Kisho looked at Ren and sighed. "Do you want to go up there or shall I?"

"Maybe we should both go," Ren said quietly.

"I don't want to leave Jiro down here alone," Kisho whispered as he looked over at the sleeping child. "In case he gets up…"

"We'll stay behind," said Renamon quietly as the fox sat down next to Jiro. Agumon was resting his head on the child's stomach and DORUmon was sitting at the foot of the bed. The two digi-destined looked at each other and then at the digimon. Renamon flicked her hands forward in a shooing motion, "Don't worry, we'll make sure he is comfortable. Go we have to find Matadormon before he causes any real damage."

"Ok, we'll go," Kisho said as he and Ren walked out of the hospital ward.

The halls were dirty like an old industrial factory. Here and there were little dribbles of blood or other fluid that had fell from the Order members as they were carted or dragged to the medical ward during and after the battle. Kisho shivered quietly and looked around. The lights still were flickering, due to blown wiring. Healthy Order members were walking around shouting giving and receiving commands. Many were carrying tools or supplies to make repairs.

The digi-destined walked up a flight of twisting stairs. A pair of large doors was at the head of the stairs. The two children pulled the doors open and winced as the sterile white light shot out of the door frame. They walked into a large computer room. The smell of smoke still hung in the air. The human-like Order members were scurrying around with wires and welding material, wrenches and screwdrivers. A red haired woman looked up from a computer monitor and stood up and walked toward them.

"How is Jiro?" asked the woman worriedly.

"He's fine; evidently it looked worse than it was…" Kisho said with a blush, as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ren rolled her eyes and huffed as the young man blushed and fawned. "How pathetic…" She looked up at the woman, "Luminel, can you tell us where Matadormon and his…allies went?"

"The Human World, somewhere around Tokyo," said the woman with a sigh, "Unfortunately once the digital barrier was instated the gate program initiated a randomizing effect so that it would send the next traveler to any number of digi-ports within the area of the last gate activation…and once the defense systems were shut down, the gate computer instituted a system wide deletion of gate records. It's a defense mechanism in case we ever had to evacuate the fortress through the gate…"

"So that means they are somewhere, in Japan…" Kisho replied as he looked around. The computers were all in some form of disarray, from being totally gutted to being covered in black soot.

"Tokyo, usually the randomizer works in a distance of about ten or twenty miles of the last activation," said Luminel as she looked at Kisho with her hazel eyes. "Of course, we've never really field tested it…"

"Umm…yeah…" Kisho blushed and coughed, looking away.

"I think you should've stayed down there with Jiro," hissed Ren under her breath. The brunette girl looked up at Luminel. "Well then, we have to get back to our world to stop Matadormon."

"Well, it will take a day or so," replied Luminel as she turned and walked to a computer monitor, "We have to retrieve Gennai and Gabumon yet, but first we need to work out the encryption sequence, we're nearly done with that, and then we'll have to recall Gennai and Gabumon. And we have to repair the power transfer systems…" Luminel sighed loudly, and she drooped her head, "Matadormon kicked our butts so thoroughly…"

"Don't worry, we'll get him," said Kisho with a quirky smile he hopped forward and grasped Luminel's hand, "I promise…"

"Oh for crying out loud…" snorted Ren as she crossed her arms.

"That's very sweet of you, Kisho, but you should be more worried about Haru and Taku," said Luminel quietly as she gently reclaimed her hand, "Tonight will be most dangerous for people traveling, since Matadormon's forces are dispersed to the wind and no one is in a position to stop them; they'll have free range to feast on unsuspecting victims."

"Yeah, Kisho," Ren said with a nudge to the ogling boy's shoulder. She looked up at the red haired woman, "thank you, Luminel, I think we'll go back downstairs…we should check on Jiro." Ren grabbed Kisho by the elbow and lead him away with a jerk.

"Talk to you later Luminel!" shouted Kisho, waving to the woman as Ren yanked him through the doors of the command room. There was a soft tone that rang through the halls. Kisho and Ren looked at each other.

"Haru…" The two turned and walked back into the command room.

Luminel turned to them, "Crest energy is moving toward the fortress, Haru's…"

"Right," The two children nodded.

"We'll go and meet them and fill them in," Kisho said as he turned and ran.

888

"Jeesh, you guys made a mess…" Taku said as he leapt down with an egg in his arms.

"It was like this when we got here, Matadormon beat us to the punch…so to speak," sighed Ren as she walked forward.

"Jiro; how is he?" Haru shouted as he helped a short, humanoid digimon off of Grademon's shoulders.

"He'll be fine, they said he'll be up and around in a couple of days," Kisho assured, raising his hands, palm-side up. "He's sleeping now…the digimon are with him."

"Thank goodness…" Taku sighed quietly; Grademon glowed and returned to Guilmon.

"What's with the egg?" Ren asked as she looked at the black and rose oval.

"It's DemiDevimon…" Taku said as he rubbed the egg gently.

Suddenly the egg started to glow and crack. It exploded filling the area with smoke. The digi-destined and the blue cloaked digimon waved their hands clearing the smoke. A small gray cloud with a small flame resting on its head hovered in front of Taku and smiled.

"DemiDevimon…?" Taku whispered, looking at the smiling smoke cloud.

"Mokumon, a baby digimon," the humanoid digimon said as he reached up and cupped the smoke digimon into his hands.

"Who's this guy?" Ren asked as she pointed at the little wizard.

"Wizardmon, he's from File Island," said Taku as he looked at the wizard.

"Yes, I came because I was forced to…" Wizardmon said with a frown. He held his arm.

"Oh my gosh, you're hurt!" Ren yelped as she looked at the wizard. A darkened piece of cloth covered the wizard digimon's arm and his leg was also bleeding. Ren looked up at Taku, "You are too!"

"What happened?" Kisho asked as he looked at the bruises and cuts on Taku.

"The idiot tried to take on a whole pack of these wolf digimon…" snorted Haru quietly, "with a big stick…"

"Those Sangloupmon were on the run until they lunged at me all at once," Taku retaliated. He touched his cuts, "These aren't anything to worry about…"

"None the less, we need to get you into the infirmary before they get infected," Ren grabbed Taku and Wizardmon's hands and started to pull them toward the castle.

"He's really ok, then?" whispered Haru as he walked up next to Kisho, "You wouldn't lie to me about Jiro's health to keep me from worrying would you?"

"He's really fine, the doctor's here have much better technology than we do," replied Kisho as he walked with Haru. "As far as we know he'll be as good as new in a couple of days."

"What about Matadormon?" Haru looked up at the brunette sternly.

Kisho sighed quietly, and wrung his hands. He looked down and took a deep breath, "Well, we got some good news and some bad news…"

"What happened?" Haru's blue eyes grew icy.

"Well, Matadormon doesn't have the digimental," Kisho said with a deep breath, "but…"

"But what?" Haru asked anxiously.

"Gennai took the digimental to the Human World…" Kisho said as he lifted his head and looked off in the distance.

"Yeah…so…?" Haru furrowed his eyebrows and then his eyes widened. "No…he can't be…"

Kisho heaved a huge sigh and nodded slowly, "He broke in and forced them to open a gate to our home. He and his three allies slipped through the gate."

"Matadormon in the Human World is just a bomb waiting to explode; he could take over the world…" Haru growled.

"We have a few days yet, evidently the Human World's time is expressed much slower than the time here, about one minute to every one day, Human World to Digital World," said Kisho with a smile.

"But even so, he could do so much damage!" Haru growled loudly.

"Don't worry, as soon as Jiro's on his feet we're going to go after Matadormon, first though, we need to get Gennai and a friend of his, Gabumon, back," Kisho said as he pulled the door to the palace open, "Evidently, from what the other Order members have said, Gennai went to the Human World a few days before the battle happened…during that week we were in the Dark World…"

"I don't remember a lot of that week…" whispered Haru as he rubbed his head.

"Well, you were knocked out for a lot of it," Kisho replied, "Most of it was exploring the Dark World and then finding higher ground when Dragomon attacked…" Kisho shook his head, "Anyways, Gennai went to our world and then got stuck there when Matadormon attacked…so the Order members are rushing to get the circuitry to the gate operational so they can bring him back."

"This turned into such a mess…" whispered Haru as he walked into the castle.

"Yep, it did," Kisho said as he closed the door behind him.

888

Taku yawned quietly as he sat up. A day of sitting on his rump was not something he was used to, at least not recently. He looked around himself. He was in a good sized bedroom. The Order had given the digi-destined quarters. Each was about four by five meters. He looked over to a small glow hovering a few centimeters above a box filled with sand. Taku snickered quietly as he remembered the experience of watching Mokumon digivolve to Demi Meramon.

It had been at suppertime the previous day. Everyone was eating and Taku was trying to feed the smoky digimon. The little cloud of gray gas ate a few bites and then started to fuss. Wizardmon was trying to calm the digimon down when it burst into light and digivolved. The wizard gasped as the little fire ball rested in his gloved hands. It only took a few seconds before the wizard was flailing around trying to put out the flames. Demi Meramon hiccupped and then burped and little sparks had flown everywhere, which had prompted Ren to whine about having Digimon spit on her food. Taku smiled and chuckled quietly to himself as he remembered.

Taku stood up and walked over to Demi Meramon and knelt down. He couldn't believe the luck he had, to get back his best friend. He narrowed his eyes and sighed.

"I don't really deserve this gift…not after the way I acted…" Taku whispered.

"You're supposed to be asleep, Taku," murmured the small voice of the fire ball as it shifted and its blue eyes looked up at him.

"I can't sleep, I'm too worried about Matadormon and what he's doing," whispered Taku as he sat down. "And too busy being thankful you're alive again…I thought I lost you forever…"

"Well, Kisho said it's only been about a minute in your world, so really Matadormon is probably still a bit on the confused side," said Demi Meramon quietly. "As to the other stuff, I can't believe you thought you could get rid of me that easy…" The fireball giggled, "I took a missile to protect you, and you think a few unclipped fingernails can keep me away from you?"

"Yeah…I guess you're right…" Taku said with a weak smile. The black haired child watched the fireball burn quietly. His ears then pricked as the sound of footsteps clapped closer to his door.

"No, no, no!" shouted a voice from the hall, it sounded male. "You can't take power from the egg room! If you do then it will slow their progression, we can't afford that."

"But it's the only way to get the gate systems back online," said another voice, a more feminine one. "Unless we took power from the holding cells…"

"Don't even continue that line of thought, we can't risk freeing them, it took too much power to even get them captured in the first place. They would be nearly as much of a threat to the Digital World as that hobbled up piece of data, Arkadimon…" shouted the first voice.

"But we need to get Master Gennai out of the Human World," said the second voice.

There was a loud sigh, "I am aware of the situation…but there is no point in sacrificing everyone else to get Gennai back…"

"There has to be somewhere we can siphon power to the gates," the female asked.

"We could redirect the power from the main defense grid, it would leave us defenseless for a few hours but…" the man said. His voice started to fade and the footsteps quickened.

"Holding cells?" Taku looked over at Demi Meramon.

"Egg room?" the fireball returned.

"Time to explore me thinks," said Taku as he stood up. He looked back at Demi Meramon, "Are you coming?"

"Heh, of course, I can't let you out of my sight," said the digimon as he glided after Taku.

Taku slipped out of his room and looked up and down the corridor. No one was around. The lights were dim but gave more than enough light to see. Taku slowly crept down the hall, Demi Meramon flickering slowly behind him. The floor was cold on Taku's bare feet and the air also contained a considerable chill that easily passed through the light, beige, nightshirt and pajama pants the Order had given all the children.

"Do we even know where we are going?" asked Demi Meramon quietly.

"Well, no," Taku admitted quietly as he stopped at an intersection, "but then it wouldn't be exploring if we did know where we were going…"

"Yeah, but even the great digimon explorers like Hookmon of the Southern Seas had an idea of where he was going when he discovered the Cache Island Archipelago," Demi Meramon replied with a bit of a haughty snort.

"And to think, only a day ago you were just a cooing puff of smoke," said Taku with a teasing grin. Taku slipped into the left corridor and started to jog, while sticking to the slightly shadowed walls.

"Wait for me," Demi Meramon hissed as he burned after the black haired boy.

"This place is huge," whispered Taku as he turned another corner and slowly started to ascend a darkened staircase.

"It _is_ a fortress," said Demi Meramon snidely.

"Well, duh, I was just saying, 'it's big'," Taku said as he walked up the stairs. He stopped and looked back at Demi Meramon. "You are ok, right? I mean you shouldn't still be resting or anything?"

"Pah, I could run circles around you," retorted the fireball defensively.

"Well, you could, if you had legs," said Taku with a smile and he turned and climbed the stairs.

They walked up and down corridors stopping to hide behind heavy doors whenever they heard voices. It seemed that most of the Order was either in the small hospital facilities far downstairs or asleep and that only a maintenance crew and a small contingent of security guards were milling about. Taku peered out of the door that he and Demi Meramon were hiding behind. Currently two figures were standing outside. One was a red haired woman. The other was a man. He had a hood pulled over his head.

"We're nearly ready to transfer the power from the defense system to the gates," said the man.

"I can't believe that reactor failed to restart…" sighed the woman quietly as she looked at a clipboard.

"It'll be a few days at least before we can get it back online," said the man as he crossed his hands behind his back.

"Well, with the generator down, we should check the egg room just in case," said the woman as she wrote something on the clipboard, "I'll check the eggs, and you go about getting the gate working."

"Of course, Lady Luminel," said the man as he bowed slightly, taking the clipboard and walking away down the hall. The woman sighed and started to walk off.

"She's going to the egg room," Demi Meramon whispered.

"Yeah…" Taku nodded, "I wonder what they are doing with eggs…or what kind of eggs they are working with…"

"Well, we're not going to find out here," chirped Demi Meramon. "Let's tail her and find out!"

"Shh," Taku hissed.

He looked at the digimon and then opened the door and crept slowly to the corner of corridor and looked around the edge. The woman was several meters ahead. Taku put a finger to his lips and then slowly slunk around the corner. The woman walked very slowly and other Order members would approach her and converse, usually the Order members were carrying some sort of clipboard or piece of paper the woman would write on. When this would happen Demi Meramon would hide as effectively as they could, either in a room or behind a corner.

The woman then descended a flight of spiral stairs down into a large lobby-like area. It was open and had few things adorning it except large support pillars. The woman walked up to a heavy looking, wooden door and pulled on the pair of large, metallic, rings hanging on the door. The doors slowly lurched open and the woman disappeared into the room beyond.

"Is that the egg room?" asked Demi Meramon.

"I don't know," Taku replied as he crept down the stairs after the woman disappeared. He sprinted behind a pillar, followed by Demi Meramon.

"Now what?" the fireball asked quietly as he hovered next to Taku's head.

"I think we should wait, if there is just a room after that door; then she'll see us," replied Taku in a whisper. "If it's another hallway, we'll just have to hunt and peck our way to the egg room…"

"Right…" Demi Meramon nodded as he watched.

After a few minutes the doors heaved open and the woman walked out. Taku and Demi Meramon tensed up. The woman walked past, and as she did so, Taku and Demi Meramon slowly walked around the pillar, trying to keep the large marble rod between them and the woman's line of sight. The woman walked to the stairs and then started to climb up the steps. Taku and Demi Meramon peered around the pillar and looked up the steps watching as the woman disappeared at the top of the staircase.

Taku sighed in relief and then turned, sprinting to the pair of heavy doors. He spat into his hands, rubbing them together and then reached up at the two rings, one on each door, which hung from the wooden surfaces of the doors. He pulled with all his strength and slowly the doors creaked open. Taku swore quietly under his breath as the doors creaked, and when they were open enough for him to squeeze through he slid between them, with Demi Meramon slipping in right behind him. The doors did enter into a room. It wasn't lit overly well, with only a few glowing buttons and monitors being the majority of the luminance. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and he walked forward.

The middle of the room was dominated by a large table. A machine was on top of the table. It looked like there was a miniature, metal pyramid at the machine's epicenter. Long wires and cords were plugged in at the top of the pyramid and stretched upwards to a ceiling cloaked in shadows, around the pyramid were four small depressions and each depression held an egg. Taku walked forward and reached out to the closest egg. Suddenly a bright light fell from overhead. Taku squinted from the unsuspected blaze of light and blinked several times. The blotches of color faded and finally he was able to see. The egg in front of him was bright red and a flame decoration covered its shell. Demi Meramon hovered close to the egg and looked at it.

"It's a digi-egg…" whispered Taku quietly. Taku reached forward and gently touched the eggshell. He instantly jerked his hand back. "Son of a…" Taku hissed as he looked at his hand. His palm was bright red, "That sucker was hot…"

"Are you ok?" asked Demi Meramon. The fire digimon looked up at Taku.

The boy breathed through his teeth and shook his hand in the air. "I think so…"

Taku then walked to the left. Another light blazed on; Taku covered his eyes with his arm and then looked down. The next egg was white with lavender tiger stripes. Taku slowly reached forward and touched the egg with his fingers. He furrowed his brow; he couldn't feel anything weird, except that the eggshell was incredibly smooth like metal. Taku winced as his burnt hand pulsed with angry pain. Taku walked around the table, on his counterclockwise exploration and waited for the third light to come on. Taku blinked and then looked down at the black digi-egg; it had large, dark green leave designs on it. He reached forward with his burnt hand and touched the egg. He released a content sigh as a cold jet swept up his arm.

"What is it?" asked Demi Meramon as he hovered next to Taku.

"This one…it's like touching snow…" whispered Taku with a content smile. Taku slowly lifted his hand and looked down. The redness and swelling were gone, the pain was also gone. "The burns…"

"They are gone…" Demi Meramon whispered.

"Yeah…" Taku said as he looked up at the final egg. He walked slowly over to it and the light flashed on. The egg revealed was sky blue, and lightning bolt-like streaks crisscrossed the egg's surface. Taku looked at Demi Meramon and reached forward.

The doors to the room pulled opened, "Don't touch that egg!"

Taku's hand hovered a few centimeters above the eggshell. The black haired boy looked up and saw the woman they were following standing there. Taku gulped as the woman walked forward. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the table.

"Hey!" Taku yelped as he was tugged.

"It's for your own good," the woman returned loudly, "if you touched that last egg, its energy would've eaten you from the inside out…"

"Huh?" Demi Meramon looked up in surprise. "What are these anyways, they aren't like any digi-eggs I've ever known!"

"They are very special digi-eggs, and when they hatch our problems with the malignance of this world will be over," replied the woman stoutly. "Now come on, you shouldn't be in here…"

"Not yet, lady," Taku growled as he pulled away from the woman, "what are you hiding from us? You said these eggs hold the key to fixing all your problems, then why don't you just make 'em hatch?"

"It doesn't work that way, they are special, they have to absorb a lot of energy first, and they aren't ready yet," the woman grumbled as she looked at Taku. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Even so, we have every right to know who we're working with," Taku growled as he looked up at the woman, "I heard one of your people talk about holding cells, now just who are you holding?"

"Children shouldn't ask questions like that," returned the woman quietly as she grabbed Taku's hand and with greater strength than the boy thought pulled him in and picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder. "I'm taking you back to your room!"

"HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" shouted the boy loudly as he kicked and flailed. "I want answers! PUT ME DOWN!"

"That's my partner!" shouted Demi Meramon as he flew forward.

The fireball puffed up, but just as he was about to spit a tiny clump of sparks, the woman spun around and a small canister sprayed the fireball's face with a mint smelling mist. Demi Meramon instantly dropped to the ground, and even stopped burning. Taku struggled even harder until a fine spray filled his nose and then everything went black.

888

Taku's head exploded in pain as his eyes flickered open. "What a dream…" He rubbed his head as little stars filled his vision. His mouth felt dry and his eyes felt like they were going to pop. "I feel like I just fought ten rounds with a heavy weight boxer…"

"Oof, I think this room must have a draft," whimpered Demi Meramon from his little sand bed in the corner. "My head feels like it's been filled with sludge…"

"Ugh…" grunted Taku as he sat up. "I had the weirdest dream too, like…I was a spy or something and the Order were like some evil organization….trying to grow evil cabbage…"

"I'd laugh," Demi Meramon grumbled, "but it would hurt too much…" Demi Meramon winced and slowly opened his eyes, "I had a weird dream too…something about making omelets and burning your hand on a skillet…"

Taku looked over to a clock on a nightstand next to his bed. "It's morning; we should get ready for breakfast…"

"Yeah…" Demi Meramon nodded as he hovered upward, slowly.

Taku slowly grabbed a towel and wash rag. He staggered over to a dresser, where he picked out a black shirt and a black pair of pants. Taku slowly wobbled out of the bedroom into the hallway, where he promptly bumped into a tall human figure. Taku staggered backward and looked up. The figure was a woman, with long red hair and hazel eyes. Taku shook his head slowly, which only exasperated his headache and made him feel dizzy. He looked up at the blurry shifting face of the woman.

"Are you ok, Taku?" asked the woman pleasantly.

"I have a horrible headache…Demi Meramon has one too," murmured Taku slowly, carefully forming the words on his lips. "He thinks there is a draft in our room…or something…"

"Well, you shouldn't have to worry, we go the gate working, and Gennai came back earlier this morning, so hopefully today, you can go to the Human World, but…I'm not sure how long you'll get to stay," said the woman quietly. "You may or may not get to sleep there…"

"Eh…it's ok…" said Taku quietly as he started to wander away. "I like it here better anyways…"

Taku lifted his hand weakly, waving at the woman and then called for Demi Meramon. The fireball bobbed after Taku hovering weakly in the air. Taku then turned and walked toward the showers.

"God, I feel like I got hit by a shovel…" whimpered Taku quietly.

888

"So, the spray worked?" said Gennai quietly as he sat at a large conference table. Two other people were sitting at the table with him, one a brown haired, blue eyed man, the other a red haired hazel eyed woman.

He looked at the red haired woman quietly. She looked back at him with worried hazel eyes.

"What if he remembers?" asked the woman quietly.

"I wouldn't worry, we can always pass it off as a dream," replied Gennai quietly. "Luminel, you did the right thing…"

"I still think this is a little too much," said the man who was sitting next to the woman. His blue eyes looked up and met Gennai's, "if they figure out our omissions they may decide to forsake us…"

"Our omissions are nothing but a necessity, and the omissions themselves are minor," replied Gennai sternly. "The digi-eggs must be kept a secret from them, or else they will not be as determined in their work, and as to our guests, well, the less anyone knows of them the better…"

"If you think so, Master Gennai," said the man quietly.

"Yes, I do," Gennai replied. "Now, how soon can we have the children in the Human World, they must retrieve the digimental before Matadormon can."

"I can have the gate ready in an hour," said the man with a nod.

"Then so be it," Gennai said as he knocked on the table with his knuckles. "Get them ready…"

Gennai stood, and then the other two Order members and they left the conference room together.

888

"Weird," muffled Ren between bites of eggs.

"I know…it just feels so strange, it's like I should know something or be doing something but can't quite figure it out…" Taku sighed as he pushed his food around with a pair of chopsticks.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry…" Haru said as he took a bite of his toast. "Probably all that spicy food we had for supper..."

"That was good," chirped Guilmon as he ate a fistful of toast.

"Yeah, it was way better than the food they were giving me in the infirmary," Jiro smiled as he ate a sausage. He had been released from the hospital ward only that morning and was already cheerful and giggling as he and Agumon talked.

"The Jell-O was good though…" giggled Agumon.

"Ew, you mean that lime stuff, I don't like lime," Jiro made a face, sticking his tongue out and scrunching up his cheeks.

"Hey guys…we have a guest," Kisho walked into the dining room, behind him was Gennai. The brown haired man smiled and nodded.

"I have news; you're going to be returning to Odaiba soon, within the hour actually…" Gennai smiled as the children dropped their utensils and looked at him. "There are a few things I want to cover though before you go…"

"What kind of things?" Taku asked as he looked up at Gennai.

"Well, firstly, we'll probably need you to come back," Gennai said quietly. The children frowned and huffed quietly, "I know, I know, but the thing is, if you destroy Matadormon or his cohorts in the Human World…"

"Spit it out!" Ren shouted as she stood up bracing her hands on the table.

"Well when digimon get deleted here, they go to be processed for rebirth or…the Dark World, and well if you destroy a digimon in the Human World, there is no place to be processed to, so the digimon's data floats around afterwards and if the digimon has enough willpower and strength…well, they could reconstitute themselves if given the proper conditions…now we're not sure what kind of power a digimon would need to possess to do something like that, but we're pretty sure that Matadormon fits the bill…not only that but we don't even know if Matadormon has Arkadimon with him or if Arkadimon is still here…"

"I didn't sense Arkadimon inside Matadormon…" Taku said quietly as he looked down, "but then again, he may be dormant…and I was kind of happy when I was with Matadormon so maybe my heart wasn't dark enough to hear him…"

"What do you mean?" Ren looked at Taku suspiciously.

"Arkadimon said that if someone had a dark enough heart that they can hear his thoughts…" Taku explained quietly.

"Kind of like coming in on the same frequency on a walky-talky…only with telepathy," Haru looked up at Taku.

"I guess…" Taku shook his head. "I didn't feel him, but that doesn't mean anything…Matadormon had such a strong presence that Arkadimon could've easily shielded his existence inside of Matadormon."

"We must assume that Arkadimon is with Matadormon, if not in him," Gennai replied with a nod. "As such we can't allow such a horrible force to be allowed to wander the Human World, either corporally or as a data specter."

"What are we supposed to do then? It's not like they can come back on their own, and I doubt they're going to just hop into a digital portal if we ask…" Haru said as he looked at Gennai.

"I know, that's what these are for," Gennai reached into his pocket and pulled out five small black objects with big red buttons on them. "They are recall devices. You'll have to subdue Matadormon and his allies and put these devices on them, activating them. Once the devices are activated we can get a lock onto them and bring the digimon attached to the device back here, to the Digital World."

"Matadormon, Bastemon, Neo Devimon, Astamon…" Haru counted off on his fingers, "that's four, why do we need the fifth one…"

"For us," Kisho said quietly as he looked up at Gennai.

"That's correct," Gennai said, "We can also lock onto your digivices but using the recall unit will make for a far gentler ride…"

"Once we beat Matadormon then we can go home for good right?" Jiro asked quietly.

"I don't know. If Arkadimon escapes again we'll continue to need your service," Gennai replied with a sigh. The children looked down sadly, "I really want you to be able to go home, but in order to do that we must stop Arkadimon…"

"Gennai's right…" Kisho said quietly, "if Arkadimon is allowed to gain more and more power, whose to say one day he wouldn't try to rule our world too…we have to try and stop him now, before he's too strong."

The other children looked at each other and nodded in unison. "We're with you."

"Good…" Gennai said with a pleasant smile. "The gate shall be ready soon, finish your breakfasts and you shall be free to go home…"

888

The gates opened. The light flooded the room. Five humans, with five digimon walked forward and one by one they disappeared into the light. The gates slowly closed and the three Order members looked at each other.

"It's all in their hands now, we can't help from here," said one of them, a man with short, brown hair and blue eyes. "Rathiel get the detection grid up, we don't want to leave them in a lurch…"

"Yes, Gennai," said a man behind him, with the same hue of hair and eyes, though slightly shorter. The man bowed slightly and then left the gate room.

"Do you think they can do it, Master Gennai," the other Order member asked. She had long red hair and hazel eyes.

"They have the tags and the crests, and their digivices," said Gennai quietly, "and most of all, they have each other," Gennai turned and smiled at the woman, "Yes, Luminel, I think they can do it."

**888**

**AN: Sorry for the wait guys. This chapter was a bit harder to get out than I thought, and then I had a whole lot of stuff happen recently so I've been busy. Not only that but this chapter isn't really action packed not like the last few… I hate the chapter title…it's dorky. Anyways…**

**Blue: The Chalice of Light survived, he really wasn't in that much danger in the first place…I just like torturing people by making it look worse than it actually was…as to the shininess of Magnamon's evolution, can't give you a one hundred percent on that one…but I think you'll be surprised, and or pleased none the less…**

**Dark: Thanks. **


	33. On the Trail of Shadows

**I don't own Digimon**

**On the Trail of Shadows**

**888**

"RAAAR!" several trees fell in the park.

The dust rose and flowed in the air. A shadow appeared in the still unsettled dust. Flickers of sunlight bounced off of long, thin, fingerlike blades. Flowing, pink sleeves rolled in the breeze as the figure walked forward.

"Why are you angry?" a second figure rose appeared out of the shadows. A pair of long, tattered wings opened as its thin body lifted off the ground. "This is the Human World…"

"I anticipated arriving near that Order member," growled the first figure as he sliced his fingers through a tree trunk. The tree slid apart and toppled to the ground with a loud clatter and rustle.

"If you don't wish to attract attention I suggest you calm down, Matadormon," said the second figure.

"I know perfectly well what I'm doing, Neo Devimon!" growled the first figure. It swept around and looked back into the forest, "Bastemon, Astamon, get out here. We shall search for the digimental now, before those fools can get anyone here to impede us."

"How are we supposed to find that thing?" purred a female voice as a woman walked forward. A saffron halter-top barely covered her voluptuous figure. A pair of lynx-like ears twisted back and forth and a pair of hazel eyes surveyed the destruction Matadormon did.

Behind the woman a demon dressed in a pinstriped suit walked forward, a crimson scarf hung around his neck. "Yeah, if yous haven't noticed this city is large…"

"Don't be an idiot…" Neo Devimon said as he hovered next to Matadormon.

"They bring up a valid point," said Matadormon quietly as he looked at the woman. "The aura around the digimental is incredibly strong. It will rub off on anyone who touches it."

"Yeah, but if Gennai got back to the Digital World, then wes are outta luck," said Astamon as he looked at Matadormon.

"Do you really think Gennai would be able to find a suitable hiding place on his own?" Matadormon scoffed quietly as he walked forward.

"So we have to look for the human who Gennai consulted with?" Bastemon snorted as she arched an eyebrow. "It's still a high order to fill…"

"I have faith in you," said Matadormon as he turned. "We should spread out. It will increase the ground we can cover. The more ground we can cover the faster we can find this human with the taint…and as soon as we find it…" Matadormon snipped his claws across each other, "then red rope of destiny shall be cut…"

Bastemon made a sidelong glance at Astamon. The demon smirked quietly and nodded. Matadormon leapt into the air and disappeared into the dusk's shadows. Neo Devimon spread his wings and glided over Bastemon and Astamon.

"You don't think the digimental will make you strong enough to defeat Matadormon, do you?" asked the synthetic devil as he gently turned and hovered above the tree-line looking down at the other two digimon. "I have known Matadormon for many years, he is not to be trifled with, and no trinket will be enough to save you from his wrath if you attempt to destroy him…"

"Yous are stickin' your nose in the wrong person's business, Neo Devimon," growled Astamon as he clenched his fist and shook it up at the devil. "Wes weren't even thinking about overthrowing Matadormon, so just be quiet!"

Neo Devimon shook his metal masked head and turned, gliding away. Bastemon reached up with her long clawed hands and ran her claws through the white mane of hair on Astamon's head.

"Don't worry about ol' sour puss," Bastemon purred quietly. "When we find the digimental, and we will, Matadormon will be forced to bow to us…"

Astamon replied with a gruff growl and sighed, slipping his arm around Bastemon's waist. "Don't yous worry, Bastemon. I'll personally put Matadormon outta commission…when we get the digimental. Ya hear?"

"Oh, I love it when you get all macho…" Bastemon chuckled as she ran a single claw down over Astamon's chest.

Astamon clasped his hand over Bastemon's. "We should be goin' eh? Neo Devimon and Matadormon already have a head start."

"And so practical, too," giggled Bastemon playfully, "everything a girl wants…in a big, strong man…"

"Yous search the south side I'll take the north side," replied Astamon as he indicated with the Tommy gun in his hand. "Wes'll meet in the middle, right?"

"You're giving the shots," giggled Bastemon seductively as she trailed away from Astamon. "See you later…"

Astamon nodded slightly and turned walking away.

888

"There is nothing we can do right now," Kisho said as he sat down on the sidewalk a few meters from the Heighton View Terrace pedestrian overpass. "We don't even know where Matadormon and his flunkies are…"

"Nor do we know where the digimental is," Haru pointed out.

"Yeah, that was kind of stupid," Taku said as he sat down. Demi Meramon was hovering next to him. Kisho looked down at the small ball of purple fur in his lap.

"I can kind of understand why they didn't tell us though," Ren said as she held up a golden fluff ball with a puffy tail. "I mean if they captured one of us, we may tell them where the digimental is…if we knew."

"Not only that but it's unlikely that the digimental is somewhere where we can easily reach it," Haru said as he poked the plush, red dragonet standing next to him on four, small, stout legs.

"It's going to be weird though trying to get to bed, after we just woke up," Jiro frowned. "That is if we're going home…"

"I suspect we should," Kisho said as he stretched, "I mean; we're already a few hours late from school."

"The only problem with going home is that….well," Haru pointed down at the small digimon at his side. "These guys…"

"Not a problem, as long as they stay at this level…" said Kisho with a smile and pointed down at the little lavender ball in his lap.

"Yeah, but when we fight Matadormon or his friends we're going to get into trouble," Taku replied sharply.

"I think we should worry about crossing that bridge when we get there," Ren stated quietly. "I'm just worried that our parents will punish us or something."

"Then we should go home, now," said Jiro as he stood up, pinking up a pink soccer ball shaped creature with ribbon-like ears.

"Ok then, we'll meet in the morning so we can canvas the area," Kisho looked at the others, "There is a park not far from here, can you guys get there?"

The others nodded in unison and Kisho smiled. He picked up the digimon that had been resting in his lap and stood up.

"See you in the morning," chirped Ren as she walked down the street. She held the golden ball of fur up and looked at it, "You'll like it at my house, Viximon…the only thing is my Grandma is kind of cranky…"

"Jiro, Koromon, Gigimon, let's go," Haru said as he stood up. He bent down and picked up the red mini-dragon. "Mom is probably worried about us."

"Ok, Haru," Jiro jumped up and held onto Koromon.

"See you, Taku," Kisho said as he started to walk away.

"You and Dorimon be careful going home," Taku called out as he waved at the leaving figure of Kisho. The boy turned and waved his hand up in the air with a smile.

Taku sighed quietly and looked up at Demi Meramon. "So what do you want to do?"

"Aren't you going home?" the little fireball asked in surprise.

"Not yet…" whispered Taku as he looked up at a sign that gave the time.

"Awww, but I wanna see your house, Taku!" whimpered the fireball loudly.

"Shh!" Taku hissed as he looked around, "People around here aren't used to talking fireballs that float in the air…"

"Mmm, maybe I should digivolve…" Demi Meramon whispered as he hung in the air.

"You can?" Taku asked as he looked at the fireball.

"I think so," replied the digimon with a nod.

"That would make things easier, I could pass you off as a stuffed toy, or something," said Taku quietly as he touched his chin with his fingers. He nodded and turned, "Come on we'll go in this alley."

The fireball followed the black haired boy and then a few seconds later a flash of light shot out of the alley. Taku walked out carrying a small, spherical object with bat wings.

"So can I go to your home now?" asked the bat quietly as he looked up at Taku.

The boy sighed. "Are you that gung ho to go…?"

"Yes," the bat fussed.

"Fine…" Taku growled under his breath and trudged up the sidewalk.

888

"Feh…none of these humans smell of dark energy," grumbled Bastemon as she walked.

Her green eyes glanced at each passing human. The sun had finally gone down, and the city lights had flickered to life. The humans looked at her with wide eyes and strange looks of awe and fear or disgust, Bastemon couldn't quite tell.

"Heh look at that otaku," said one man to another as they passed.

"She's too hot to be an otaku," replied the other man as they both tried to look back at her as inconspicuously as possible. "Must be a costume party somewhere…"

"I am not deaf," Bastemon said as she turned. The two men looked at her innocently. Bastemon walked forward, "plus, if you're complaining about my looks, you should look at yourselves…"

Bastemon glared at the two men. Both were wearing pale, beige raincoats and their dark brown hair was disheveled. Their brown eyes were blood shot and their shoulders were slumped.

"You have no right to speak to us like that," shouted the first man.

"Shut up, you're nothing but broken husks…" snorted Bastemon as she turned away from them, "not worth my time…"

She narrowed her eyes and walked away from the two men. She grumbled quietly to herself. Her tails twitched as she walked. Her nose was assaulted by the gasses coming from the back ends of the humans' vehicles. The stench of heavy musk and cologne filled her nostrils; tobacco laced smoke, the smell of illness and alcohol, she could smell it all here and it disgusted her.

"Hey baby…" called a rough sounding voice.

Bastemon stopped and turned her head slowly. There was a short man leaning against the wall of a building. A cigarette limply hung on his lips with a small trail of smoke lazily drifting into the air above the glowing cinders of the lit end.

"What do you want?" snarled Bastemon as the hairs on the back of her neck rose slightly in annoyance.

"Nuttin' special, just lookin' at you," said the man as he took the cigarette from his mouth and tapped it letting portions of the embers on the end to fall off. "Just wonderin' if you're lookin' for a little action tonight…hehe…"

"Depends on the action," Bastemon replied turning her annoyed frown into a demure smile. Her hips swayed as she slowly walked forward. "I'm looking for something…"

"Hey, I've got a lot of things, I'm sure I've got just the thing to make you happy," said the man confidently.

Bastemon lifted one of her fingers and traced over the man's roughly shaven face, "Oh, I'm sure you don't…but you could help me…I'm looking for an artifact, any word on that at all?"

"Heh, how about we step back here into my little conference area and talk about it, I may have heard something," said the man quietly as he pushed off the building and slipped into the alley in back. Bastemon shook her head and slowly walked into the darkened alley way.

"As I was saying I'm looking for this artifact…" Bastemon started. The man walked behind a large crate and turned. His face was only illuminated by the soft, red glow of his cigarette.

"You know you'd make a pretty good salary girl…buxom, kind of sassy, some of these working jerks like that in a lady," said the man with the cigarette. "Ever thought of working, you know, nights."

"I do my best work at nights…" Bastemon chuckled quietly.

"Well then, how about we give you a little interview. Boys, now!" Suddenly the shadows came to life as five large men leapt forward. Two of them grabbed Bastemon by the neck, another by the arms.

Bastemon growled and easily flung the men away. The fifth man pointed a weapon at her, a smaller version of Astamon's gun. Bastemon snorted in annoyance. The man with the cigarette shouted angrily and the next thing Bastemon knew there was a loud bang. Her hand instinctually shot up and a crimson whip flew forward and before another second past the alley walls were bathed in crimson. The gun clattered to the ground and a bisected bullet dropped next to it.

"Stupid humans…like they could please me…" snorted Bastemon as she looked at the splayed forms of the men lying in halves dissected by the sweeping motion of Bastemon's whip. "Add onto that the fact they didn't know anything or even smell like the darkness…these beings are such a waste of my time…"

Bastemon leapt up landing on the fire escape of one of the buildings that lined the alley. She then leapt to the roof. She glared down at the streaming mass of humanity below in the artificial glow of streetlights and neon signs. She snorted and walked from the edge disappearing into the shadows.

888

"Young man!" Kisho winced hard as the harsh voice shot from the kitchen. Kisho closed the door behind him and slipped his shoes off and walked into the living room.

"Mom…" Kisho sighed as he looked down and tried to tuck Dorimon away from sight. "I know I'm late…but there was this accident and…"

"Don't lie to me young man," The woman appeared from the small doorway across the room from him. "I can hear it in your voice. Where were you?"

Kisho sighed quietly and sat down on the couch, his head drooped. "Well, I met up with a few friends from school…and well we ended up going to park and then a soccer game broke out…"

"Why didn't you call me, or come home first?" the woman growled. Her sharp, black eyes glared at him. Her lips tightened, "Answer me, young man!"

"I-I forgot…" Kisho sighed quietly as he looked down.

"Well, don't do it again," growled the woman as she returned into the kitchen. "You're going to wash the dishes and take the garbage out tonight, and then you're going to bed early…"

"Ah, but mom…" Kisho sat up on the couch.

"You heard me, Kisho," The woman's voice retorted.

"Ok…" Kisho sighed.

"I want you to clean your room before supper, too," the woman called. "So get to it! Your father will be home in twenty minute…which means…"

"Supper will be ready in an hour…" Kisho groaned as he got up and picked up Dorimon. He slowly walked off down a small hall to a tiny room.

"Oh nice room," chirped Dorimon as he hopped around.

Piles of clothes were lumped in the corner. Cards and other toys were scattered over the floor. The bed was a mess; the blanket was tossed and twisted; the pillows were strewn all over.

"Uh…right," Kisho said as he walked around snatching up clothes.

"I'm hungry, Kisho…" whimpered the little digimon as he hopped up on the bed.

"You'll have to wait," Kisho said as he lifted the collected clothes and waddled over to a laundry basket and put the clothes inside. "I can't take you out there with my parents…don't worry I'll try to sneak you some snacks…"

"But…but..." Dorimon whimpered. Kisho looked up at Dorimon with a little scowl. The digimon sighed and nodded. "Ok…"

"Right," Kisho nodded as he shuffled through the cards and put them in a green, pencil box.

Kisho quickly gathered up the toys and put them in a large, purple, rubber box. He walked over and picked up Dorimon and put him on a desk. Kisho smiled and patted the digimon's head.

"What's wrong, Kisho?" asked Dorimon as he watched the boy make his bed in frustration.

"I don't know what we're going to do…" Kisho sighed loudly. "This is going to be a lot harder than it would be in the Digital World…"

"Why? We have Taku with us now, nothing can go wrong…right?" Dorimon asked as the digimon looked up.

"Humans aren't like digimon…they aren't used to large monsters and explosions and stuff…" Kisho sighed as he placed the pillows gently at the head of the bed. "We can't just fight Matadormon out right; we'd get the military and police and everything else involved. All those people would get hurt…" Kisho plopped down on his bed, "We're just too strong…"

"Wha…?" Dorimon looked up at the boy.

"Kisho, Amaya, I'm home!" called a masculine voice.

"Papa…" Kisho looked up. He stood and ran to the door, he turned back to Dorimon. "Stay here, ok…I'll be back as fast as I can."

888

"Haru, Jiro!" gasped a brown haired woman as she ran to the door and hugged the two blonde haired boys. "I was so worried about you…it was getting late…I was so worried…"

"I'm sorry, Mom," whispered Haru quietly.

"It's not so bad…" the woman said quietly as she rubbed the boy's back.

"Momma, I'm so happy to see you," said Jiro as the smaller boy hugged his mother even closer.

"Oh, Jiro," the woman said as she picked the boy up and hugged him. "Father sent a letter today from Malaysia…he says that it's really hot there…"

"Mom, don't…" Haru whispered as he looked up at the woman. "He knows…that's why we're late…I'm sorry, Mom…"

"What?" The woman put Jiro down and looked at Haru. "What do you mean he knows?"

"We couldn't hide this from him forever…" Haru said as his blues eyes cut into the woman's brown eyes. "I know I promised but…that promised was wrong…to lie; it's just wrong…"

"Haru…" The woman looked down. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders.

"Momma, I forgive you…" Jiro whispered as he walked forward and hugged his mother. "I understand that you didn't want me to be sad…don't be mad at Haru…please."

"Oh, Jiro," the boy's mother hugged him even closer, closing her eyes, "I'm so lucky to have such wonderful boys…" She sniffled quietly and opened her eyes and saw two shapes on the floor. One was like a large ball with huge eyes and ribbon-like ears. The other looked like a large, red egg with a lizard like tail, stubby legs and golden eyes. "What are those…?"

Haru blushed as he flustered. "I…uh…we…and…"

"Haru and I got these today, they've really changed our relationship," Jiro said innocently.

"You bought a couple of stuffed toys to reconcile…" The woman sat back on her haunches lightly holding Jiro and looked up at Haru. "You really shouldn't have, Haru, they look really expensive…"

"Don't worry, Mom, they were surprisingly cheap, one could say that they were thrown at us…" Haru said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"If you say so, Haru," The woman stood up and smiled at the boys. "Well, I better get back to making supper, huh?"

"Yeah!" Jiro and Haru looked up happily.

"Alright, you guys go to your room and put your toys away, and I'll do just that," The woman nodded happily and walked off behind the kitchenette that was attached to their conjoined dining room and living room. The two boys smiled and picked up the two toys on the floor and ran down a short hall to a bedroom. The woman smiled quietly to herself and sniffled as she started to chop peppers. "I don't deserve such nice boys…James, you…you'd be proud…"

888

"Heh, so they have Locomon in the underground here…" snorted Astamon as he looked at the humans walking from the tall demon.

The humans seemed to spread out from him like a stream around a rock. The smell of fear rose off their skin. He glared down at a group of old women. Their almond eyes instantly fell to the ground and they shuffled off. His fingers gently stroked the base of the Uzi that hung at his hip.

"Hey, you!" shouted a voice in the distance. The stripe suited man looked up. He saw a group of men in black suits and sunglasses standing near one of the support pillars.

The pinstriped dressed Astamon walked up to the men, "Hello."

"Heh, hello," said the man that had shouted. He stepped forward, "so cool, so collected, not afraid are you?"

"Of you?" Astamon looked down at the man, "Not really…"

"Heh, tough guy eh?" asked the man as he flicked his wrist and a switchblade appeared on top of the man's palm. "We don't like tough guys here, you see, this our turf…"

"Yous thinks you can take me?" asked Astamon with an arched eyebrow.

"You mockin' us?" asked one of the men behind the little man with the blade. He was a large mountain built man, thick and muscular.

"I don't have to, yous do a good job of it by yourself," snorted Astamon as he turned, "I ain't got time for yous…"

"You don't have time for us?" growled the little man, "I'll show you!"

Astamon spun around and rammed the muzzle of his Tommy gun just under the sternum of the little short man. The short man staggered back, his eyes bugged out. The other men grabbed up the short guy as he fell.

The men in suits glared up at Astamon. The demon lifted his Tommy gun. The men looked up and slowly backed off.

"That's right, now, unless any of you have this rock that my girl is lookin' for, I suggest yah get movin'," Astamon said as he pointed the gun forward.

"You haven't heard the last of us!" shouted the men.

Astamon lifted his hand and a spiral of flame formed in his palm, "I think I have; if I see your face again, I'll toast you to cinders."

The men looked at the fire in shock, one of the men's suit pants darkened. Astamon snorted and turned his red scarf sweeping behind him in a picture of aloofness.

"We won't forget about this!" shouted one of the men.

"If I were you, I'd develop a case of amnesia," Astamon said as he walked away.

"Get him!" shouted the short man.

"Boss, let's let this one go," said the big man quietly. "I don't think we should mess with him."

The short man looked at the others in his group. Most of them were looking back at the short guy in fear.

"Cowards…" growled the short man loudly. "Fine, we'll let this one go…and for crying out loud, take Kazuma home to change his pants…"

888

"Momma, Papa, Grandma, I'm home!" shouted Ren as she swept the door to her home open and skipped in a carefree manner.

"It's about time young lady," A short, wrinkled woman seemingly teleported up behind her and cracked a wooden spoon on the top of Ren's head. The girl instantly brought her hand up on impact site, dropping a golden ball with a tail.

"So that's where you went, to spend your money on some stupid toy," snorted the old woman loudly.

"No, Grandma," Ren whimpered as she rubbed her head. "I had this before I left…"

"It doesn't look familiar," the old woman said as she grabbed up the fur ball and eyed it. "You're parents just got home; they're cleaning up for supper. You should be, too."

"Of course, Grandma," Ren bowed slightly and started to walk away.

"Don't forget your toy," snorted the old woman as she tossed the golden fur ball.

Ren yelped as she watched the eyes on the little fox faced fluff ball widen. Ren caught the golden furred ball and then scurried away to her room. It was pink and spacious with a large canopy bed. A pyramid of stuffed toys was in one corner of the room and a large closet was on the opposite wall.

"Hmmph, I'm not a toy," the fur ball grouched as it hopped from Ren's arms and bounded to the large, heavily cushioned bed. "And she threw me!"

"Grandma is a little, strict…" Ren said as she walked over to a desk and picked up a comb. "She's from an older time when things weren't as good for our family…my dad got really lucky and developed this microchip program or something and well, ever since our family has been really, really rich. Grandma thinks we indulge too much. She keeps making the maids and such quit and still clips coupons and such."

"Your grandmother sounds wise, it's not always smart to forget how to do things in times of luxury," replied the ball.

"Yeah, but things are good, she doesn't need to work so hard, Viximon," replied Ren as she turned around and walked over to the closet and picked out a light blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "My dad has so much money in the bank that even if he stopped getting paid we could live comfortably…"

"I don't know, Ren," sighed Viximon as the little foxling hopped about the bed. "You shouldn't be so dependent on luxury…especially when we go back to the Digital World…"

"I know…don't you think I know that?" Ren snorted as she changed into the shirt and jeans. "As long as we're here though I would rather not have to worry about it…"

"I think you should worry about it more, while you have time to think about it without something shooting at us," Viximon said as she hopped next to Ren. The girl slumped down at the edge of the bed.

"I'm just not any good at this sort of thing," sighed Ren as she lifted Viximon up and held the little fox digimon above her. "You're a lot more practical minded than I am…"

"That's why we're such good partners…" giggled the foxling. "You bring the heart and compassion and I bring the brain and the muscle!"

"Yep!" Ren giggled and hugged the fox digimon.

"REEEEN!" shouted the voice of the girl's grandmother, "Wash your hands, supper will be ready soon…and don't you try to fake it, I'm going to check them myself!"

"Ugh…" sighed Ren as she put Viximon. "I'll try and sneak some stuff to you tonight, ok?"

"Yep!" the fox nodded and hopped about.

"Be quiet and please don't wander around," whispered Ren.

Viximon nodded and curled up on the bed.

888

A pair of tattered, crimson wings swept in front of the rising moon. A lone figure stood atop the sky scraper. It was thin and lank and upon closer inspection its face was revealed to be hidden behind a golden mask, with two, steer-like horns extending out from the side of its head. Its long thin arms were crossed over the tight, white body armor of the devil's chest.

"You sense it, too?" the devil turned and found a silken clad figure phase out of the shadows of the roof.

"Yes, the darkness is coming from across the bay," said the devil quietly, "Shall we inform Bastemon and Astamon, Matadormon?"

"The more the merrier," Replied the digimon quietly. It walked forward, the silken sleeves and leggings flowing serenely through the air. A single, bladed set of fingers gently rested on the devil's shoulder, "Neo Devimon, there is nothing to fear, they would not betray us, they haven't the power to do so even if they wished."

"But with the digimental…" The devil whispered as he looked at the golden eyes of the other digimon.

"It's just a tool, a weapon," Matadormon replied as he walked to the edge of the roof. "Any warrior worth his metal can overcome a mere weapon. Just takes a little technique…"

"I will go and find them…" sighed Neo Devimon as he flared his wings.

"They separated, Astamon is in the north, Bastemon to the south," Matadormon replied quietly as he hovered off the roof of the building, "They are heading toward each other…and will meet back in the park…"

"How…how do you know?" Neo Devimon turned and looked at the silk clad digimon as he glided away.

"I lingered back to listen in on their plans," said Matadormon, crossing his arms, "I may believe in the loyalty of my subordinates but I'm not stupid…"

"I never meant to sound…" Neo Devimon replied quietly.

"Yes, yes, between you and Kyuubimon," Matadormon sighed as he disappeared into the darkness, "just get to it…I have something I must check."

888

"See, nothing overly exciting…" Taku sighed as he climbed to the top of the stairs and walked up to a door.

"But it's your home, aren't you excited to see your mom and dad?" asked DemiDevimon quietly as Taku put the bat digimon on his head. He reached forward and grasped the door.

The door pushed open and Taku walked into the apartment beyond. It was very small inside. The furniture filled nearly all the area of the room, leaving only tiny areas to walk. Taku slipped his shoes off and turned.

"Where were you?" growled a voice.

"None of your business Katsuo," replied Taku as a taller boy, nearly a head taller, loomed over him.

The taller boy's hair was black and slicked down messily. A pair of glasses was resting on his nose and a pair of black eyes glared through the lens. The older boy's hands gripped Taku by the front of his shirt.

"Look, freak, Mom and Dad are already giving crap about you getting away from me at the mall that one time," growled the older boy, "And now you're coming home late…it's a good thing Mom and Dad are late from work, otherwise I'd have been yelled at for this, too."

"I don't need a babysitter, Katsuo, so why don't you just go with your buddies and leave," Taku growled as he pushed himself free from the older boy, "they should be more worried about you…if they knew…"

"You aren't going to say a word, freak," shouted the older boy. The boy looked up at DemiDevimon. "Aww, did ya get yourself a teddy bear?"

"Shut it, Katsuo," Taku snarled as he took a step back.

The older boy reached forward and grabbed DemiDevimon. "I wonder if his wings come off…"

Taku's eyes widened and he growled, "Don't you dare!"

"Ah, ah, looks like I am…" Katsuo started to pull on DemiDevimon. The bat looked at Taku blankly, trying to maintain his toy disguise. Taku's hands quivered as he watched the bat's wings spread.

"STOP IT!" Taku's fist smashed up under Katsuo's stomach, and sent the older boy tumbling backward, dropping DemiDevimon, who bounced off out of sight.

Katsuo jumped to his feet and glared at Taku. He raised his fists, "I'm going to get you for that, freak…"

The doorknob jangled and Katsuo froze in mid-punch, quickly coverting it to a tight headlock and pulled Taku close and gave him a noogie. The older boy's knuckles rubbed on Taku's scalp as the door opened and two adults walked in. One was a woman, she had short, black hair and wore glasses; the other was a short man, about two inches shorter than the woman. He had lighter brown hair and wore a long trench coat. The woman wore a light blue dress and a cream colored blouse.

"Boys, behave, I could hear you down the hall," chastised the woman. "Katsuo, you should know better than that, let Taku go."

"He started it!" shouted Katsuo in reply.

"I don't care who started it, your mother said stop it," said the man as he hung his coat, revealing a suit below, "and I won't have any of it either, so let him go, Katsuo."

"Gah, this is so like you, taking his side all the time," growled Katsuo as he shoved Taku to the floor and pushed past the two adults, "Always protecting that freak…"

"HEY!" shouted the woman as she leaned out of the door. "Come back…" Katsuo disappeared down the stairs and the woman sighed, "here…"

"Just let him go; he wouldn't listen anyways," sighed the man as he helped Taku up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Taku snorted as he swept his shirts and pants down. "Thanks, Mom and Dad, don't worry about him, he was just being a jerk like usual…"

"Taku, that's not it, you have to protect family, not fight it," said the man quietly as he walked around the furniture and sat down.

Taku looked around the room and spotted a pair of black wings and ran over gently picking up the rest of the bat digimon. Taku smiled and smoothed the bat's fur.

"What's that?" the man asked.

"Just a new toy," replied Taku quietly as he turned and walked toward a small hall.

"I'll have supper ready soon," said the woman loudly, "I'm going to order out…"

"Yeah, yeah," Taku said as he walked into the shadows of the hall. He came to a door and walked in.

The room was dark. Taku flicked a switch and light filled the room. The single bed was draped in dark fabric. The desk was made of dark grained wood and the floor was hard wood. Taku put DemiDevimon on the bed and sighed.

"I'm sorry about Katsuo…" whispered Taku.

"He didn't hurt me…I'm tougher than that," replied DemiDevimon as he walked around.

"I know…but I should've protected you better," Taku sighed as he sat down next to the bat. "I hate him…he's such a jerk…I wish he'd just disappear; he doesn't want to be here even…"

"Why doesn't he leave?" DemiDevimon asked quietly.

"He's gotta finish high school, my parents want him to get into college," Taku replied as he fell back. "My parents won't let him go…and he doesn't have anywhere to go."

"He doesn't like you, does he?" whispered DemiDevimon as he looked at Taku.

"Not really, he thinks I'm taking all the attention from my parents that they love me because of…I'm special …" Taku sighed quietly, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"That's ok, I don't want to push you," DemiDevimon said as the bat digimon fluttered on top of Taku's head, "So is the grub here any good?"

"Eh, so-so," chuckled Taku quietly as he fluttered his hand in the air.

888

"Hmm, as I thought…" Matadormon phased into existence on the top of an apartment looking down. "Taku is here…those prophesied children have been sent here to stop our attempts."

Matadormon's eyes narrowed as the doors down below exploded open. An adolescent human stormed out of the building. Matadormon smiled quietly as he watched the human stomp down the street. Matadormon winced slightly and gently placed his clawed hands on his stomach.

"You can hear him…eh?" whispered Matadormon quietly. "His thoughts and heart are blackened with confusion, hatred and guilt…" Matadormon's grin grew, "how fitting that the Chalice of Darkness's own brother would be one capable of holding even more darkness…" Matadormon rubbed his stomach, "No…not holding the darkness; the shadows overflow from him like an ocean overflowing a simple cup…" Matadormon leapt down into a small alley and watched the human as he passed, "He may be of use to us…yes…"

**888**

**AN: I apologize for the long wait, between my car going kaplunky and my wisdom tooth acting up and classes and the holidays and now most recently my mom being in the hospital….well I haven't had much time or stamina to write. Hopefully this sub-arc will turn out ok…but we'll see. I will hopefully get replies to you guys as fast as I can, but it depends on how I feel.**


	34. Battle for the Digimentals Pt 1

**I don't own digimon**

**The Arrival of the Shadows**

**888**

"Stupid parents," Katsuo grumbled as he kicked a can down the sidewalk. The street lights bathed the concrete in an unnatural orange glow. "They always side with their little freak…if he wasn't there they'd damn well treat me like a real person."

Katsuo growled loudly and gave the can an enraged, smashing kick that sent the metallic cylinder rocketing forward and bounding off into the shadows of an alley. Katsuo glowered angrily as he glared in the direction of the can's descent. His hands were deep in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched aggressively as he plodded after the can. His dark brown eyes glared at the ground in front of him as his lips thinned angrily.

"One would almost think they love him more…" Katsuo stopped and slowly lifted his head.

Fog swept out of the alley that his can had rolled into. A single shadow seemed to solidify out of the fog and walked forward. It was lank, and its long, thin arms and legs were covered in flowing silk sleeves. The figure's hands extended into long metallic claws, claws like that American monster had. A pair of gleaming eyes shimmered from under a helmet that resembled that of the Spanish conquistadors that Katsuo's history teacher had been blathering about. The figure wore blade-like sandals on his feet, which silently touched the cement.

"Who are you," Katsuo growled as he hopped back and lifted his fists, "some Freddy Krueger rip-off?"

"I am an acquaintance of your brother, Taku," replied the figure in a soft, elegant voice. "Well, maybe acquaintance is too much, more of a past business partner…"

"What do you want?" growled Katsuo as he narrowed his eyes, "I'm not my brother's keeper, any business you have with him…"

"Heh, my business with him is to deal with his betrayal of me," replied the figure quietly. "He quit his position with me without giving me due….warning. As such he's interfered with my work…"

"What kind of work?" Katsuo asked as his fists started to waver and drift to his side.

"Let us just say I have an interest in some old, rare relics," replied the figure. "He and his friends have taken one of these 'relics' from me."

"Taku stole from someone eh?" Katsuo smirked, "I always knew the little freak was trouble."

"Yes, quite the trouble, that relic is quite valuable and I must have it retrieved," responded the figure as he looked at Katsuo.

"Pah, what do you want me for? Like I said I'm not my brother's keeper," snorted Katsuo as he crossed his arms. "My brother and I aren't exactly what you'd call, friendly."

"Of this I am aware," replied the figure quietly. "This is why you'd be perfect, I need an agent that can get close to Taku and his friends without it being unusual, and an agent who is, willing to turn Taku over to me…I have come to proposition you."

"And what do I get for this service?" Katsuo's arms fell from his chest and back into his pockets.

"You're parents' love and affection…" replied the figure quietly. "With Taku out of the way, they'll have to pour all their love into their only remaining son…just like they did before the unnatural beast was born, no?"

"You're going to kill him?" Katsuo looked up in shock at the figure.

"Not unless I have to, but I do wish to keep him under my guard," replied the figure. "You shall follow your brother around; he eventually has to meet up with his cohorts and then you shall ascertain the whereabouts of my relic, at which point you'll notify me."

"How will I notify you, I don't even know your name?" Katsuo returned quickly as the figure started to turn.

"My name isn't important; I shall be watching you," replied the figure, "As they say, 'Don't call me, I'll call you…'"

"But what if it's import…ant…?" Katsuo's question faded as the figure disappeared back into the fog and the gray clouds of condensing water dispersed. Katsuo narrowed his eyes. "What kind of freak show is my brother working with?"

He looked around tentatively and the started to walk again, continuing down the street. He walked slowly and seemed to be watching for something anything.

888

"Ren, get up!" shouted the aged sound of the girl's grandmother. Ren winced as she heard the bellow smash through the door. Light filtered through the window of her bedroom. The night had gone so fast; Ren was still a little tired. She groaned angrily as she turned over.

"Oi!" yelped a small voice as Ren jumped. A small golden furry ball hopped out from under the covers. "You nearly squished me!"

"I'm sorry, Viximon, I forgot you were there," yawned Ren as she sat up. Her brown hair was mussed. Ren rubbed her face and eyes trying to wake up.

"Ren Sasaki, get out of that bed!" Ren's grandmother shouted. "Your breakfast is nearly done!"

Ren winced again and slowly slid out of bed. She walked slowly over to the dresser that held her clothes and pulled out some clothes. She quickly changed into her shirt and pants and then plopped her butt down on the bed and lifted her feet to put on her socks. The girl then turned and picked up Viximon and looked at the yellow foxling.

"Let's go, before grandmother smashes my door down," whispered Ren quietly as she walked out of her room.

She stepped out of her bedroom and into the still enshrouded hall. She could hear the clicking of computer keys as she walked down the hall. She stopped and looked into a doorway. Her father was grumbling as he clicked a mouse at a small box. Ren sidled into the room and looked up at the screen.

"Good morning, Ren," her father said gruffly.

His face was rough, like sandpaper, and the glow of the computer glared off the glasses that rested on his yet to be shaven face. His hair, though short, was very disorderly and sprigs of brown hair pointed off in an infinite number of directions. The man wore a pair of soft blue pajamas.

"Grandma's going to get angry if you go to breakfast in this kind of mess," whispered Ren with a little giggle.

"I know, but this is confounded thing is being picky…" snorted the girl's father as he glared up at the screen.

"What's wrong?" asked Ren as she peered at the screen.

"I keep getting these darn electric mails from Okinawa," snorted the girl's father. "They don't make any sense. They are the same message over and over and over again. From some guy named Gennai…I think its some kind of virus thing…I'm trying to get rid of it."

"WHAT?" Ren's eyes widened in shock as she pushed forward, rolling her father's chair backward.

"Ren!" the man shouted, "what have I told you about rough housing in my office…"

Ren looked at the screen reading the characters carefully. The message was very short, "Ishida Hiroaki, 2834 Heighton View Terrace 345b, Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan…"

"Ren what's wrong?" Ren's father started to wheel closer.

"I have to write this down…it's important…" Ren whispered as she reached for a pen and paper and started to write down the info.

"What's important, it's just a bug in the server…" Ren's father whispered. "A virus…"

Ren folded the paper up and stuck it in her pocket.

"REN! HARUKO! YOUR BREAKFAST IS GETTING COLD!" shouted the voice of Ren's grandmother. The man and the girl both winced as the voice pierced the air.

"Coming, Mother," returned the man loudly as he got up. He looked down at Ren, "Stall her; I have to shave and change…"

"What!" Ren yelped loudly as she looked up at her father.

"Just go, keep her busy…" the man replied as he slipped out of the office.

"Come on, Viximon," whispered Ren as she ran out of the office and down the hall.

The dining room was lit and Ren's grandmother was sitting at the table. Her hands intertwined. She looked over the rims of the glasses that hung on her nose. Ren's mother was sitting cross-legged at the side of the table, wearing a pink robe. Her long brown hair rested on her right shoulder and her hand was up rubbing her forehead.

"I told you to come to breakfast…" said the old woman quietly.

"I know grandma, I'm sorry; I couldn't find my shirt…" The girl giggled quietly as she pulled at the red shirt she was wearing.

"Where is your father?" the wrinkled old woman asked roughly.

"Mother Sasaki…Haruko is probably shaving…he had a long night last night and then..." Ren's mother started to talk.

"Hana, I didn't ask you…" said the old woman.

"Mother Sasaki, that's not a very polite…" started to woman quietly.

"Ren, what's taking your father?" asked the woman quietly. "He knows breakfast is an important part of this family's day…"

"He's very sorry but he was busy, something about a server virus thing…" Ren whispered as she rolled her eyes over to the phone. "Mother, can I go to the park today? I want to talk to my friends…"

"Of course Ren," said the woman in the pink bathrobe.

"I may be gone all day though," Ren said quietly as she looked at Viximon, "It's a bit of a last hurrah before we all have to go…"

"What of lunch? Hana, you can't expect the child to stay out on the streets all day," snorted the old woman.

"Don't worry, she'll be with her friends, it's not like she'll be alone," retorted the younger woman, "Mother Sasaki, we have to allow Ren a little childhood fun, heaven forbid she actually enjoy a day…"

"She enjoys too many days," snorted the old woman, "She's been bathed in luxury, she must learn…"

"Kaida, please, just let her go, she hasn't much time between now and camp, just let her go," sighed the younger woman as she looked up at the elder.

The old woman glared at Ren's mother sharply. Ren shivered; her mother and her grandmother always were locking horns. Ren herself was worried that another screaming match was about to start.

"Mother, may I use the phone…?" asked Ren quietly.

"No," The old woman shot quickly.

"Yes," Ren's mother replied in a trumping tone as she glared at the older woman.

Ren gulped and turned to leave when her father walked in.

"Hello everyone…uh…" Ren's father walked into the dining room and his eyes traveled from his wife to his mother and back. The man gulped. "I-I…you know what…I have to get to work, busy day, busy day…" The man giggled nervously and started to back away.

"Haruko…" the old woman snarled quietly, "breakfast is one of the most important times…"

"Mother Sasaki…" Ren's mother said quietly as she stood up. "I think today breakfast is just not on the agenda…"

"I made breakfast, we're going to eat it…" said the old woman quietly.

"Maybe we should…" said Ren's father as he sat down and reached forward grabbing a plate with assorted pastries and then snatched up a sausage. He then gently retrieved some miso soup and put it into a bowl, "See, mother's miso soup is second to none…mmm are these the sausages that they imported from Italy? They are delicious…oh this is one good breakfast, yessiree…"

"Of course…" said Ren's mother as she turned and left the dining room. "I have to get dressed for work; I'll get something on the way…"

Ren's grandmother snorted in aggravation and then looked at Ren. Ren slowly walked over to the table and sat down next to her father, who'd sat on the opposite end of the table from his mother. She slowly drew some toast from a plate and then some sausage and eggs. She found a banana in a bowl of fruit and pulled it out. Ren looked up at her grandmother. The old woman nodded in stilted approval and then prepared her plate, taking some grilled fish, rice and a bowl of miso soup.

Ren fervently watched her grandmother and father eat. As soon as they got preoccupied with eating and talking she'd slip a sausage or some eggs to Viximon. The little foxling quickly consumed the food trying her utmost not to chew too conspicuously. Ren quickly finished her breakfast, thanked her grandma and rushed out of the dining room.

She ran to the cordless telephone. She snatched it up and proceeded to walk to her father's office, and closed the door. She dialed the only phone number she knew. The phone purred in her ear quietly, once, twice, three times.

"Come on…" Ren hissed quietly as Viximon walked around the office.

"Hi…this is the Yamada residence…" a groggy voice whimpered.

"It's about time, Kisho!" snapped Ren.

"Who is this?" asked the voice quietly.

"Boys," growled Ren quietly into the phone.

"Oh…hi, Ren," replied Kisho's voice as it seemed to jump to attention.

"Are you still asleep?" Ren asked sharply.

"I was…" replied the boy testily. "It's the first time I haven't had to worry about some large monster coming to eat me in my sleep…you can't put that against a guy…"

"I've been up for a while, I'm dressed and eaten breakfast, when do you want to meet at the park?" asked Ren quickly, "I think I found something really important!"

"Umm, I'll have to get a hold of the others…maybe an hour or two…" replied Kisho as he yawned into the phone.

"Don't fall asleep," Ren said loudly.

"I'm not…jeesh," yelped Kisho. "I'll get a hold of the others as soon as I get off the phone with you, we'll meet at the Odaiba-kaihin-koen Seaside Park…"

"I know that area, it's by the Decks Tokyo Beach right, by those seaside malls and stuff, right?" Ren asked as she looked down at Viximon. The fox digimon was sitting on the floor looking up at Ren.

"Yeah, just south of the Rainbow Bridge…" Kisho's voice replied lazily. "I'll get a hold of the others and meet you there in…oh two hours, maybe three; it depends on whether I can get a bus…"

"Right, see you then," Ren nodded and pressed a button on the phone. She picked up Viximon and left the office. "Well, let's go..."

888

"Hello?" yawned a soft, deep voice.

"Have you checked your mail yet?" chirped the voice on the other side excitedly.

"Hiroki? The mail doesn't get here till…" replied the deep voice.

"No, not that mail, the e-mail…" replied the voice of Hiroki.

"No, I just got up…what is it?" the deep voice breathed quietly.

"You're going to think this is crazy but, I think that other world has sent a transmission here…via a server bug…" replied Hiroki quietly. "I can't be sure but I know that yesterday we had that bomb scare, and the man at the center of it was named Gennai, he was supposedly a brother to Hiroaki Ishida one of the new reporters…"

"Yeah, so?" said the voice quietly as the soft tappings of computer keys echoed on the phone line.

"This Gennai person had a digital monster with him; I know it. Now there is this server bug that's sent everyone an e-mail from a it is basically a repeating message of Hiroaki address…" said Hiroki's voice quietly.

"Wait…a digital monster here?" the keys stopped typing. "Heighton View Terrace has had strange things happening over the last couple of weeks, some sort of bombing and then an animal control problem…do you think those could've been digital monsters too, and if so could the other world be invading?"

"I don't know, but maybe we should case out Hiroaki's residence…he seems to be at the cusp of this…" replied Hiroki quietly.

"Are you sure about this Hiroki? I mean I know you've been studying for your exam, but this is a pretty lousy way to practice staking someone out…" whispered the voice quietly. There was a soft gasp as mouse clicks rang into the phone, "You're right…there is a letter from the primary ISP company…saying that they are still trying to decipher this bug…"

"See, so are you with me or not?" Hiroki pushed verbally.

"I…don't know…this is still pretty flimsy…" whispered the voice in a weak half hearted manner.

"Come on, Yukio, I can hear your curiosity getting the best of you…" Hiroki's voice prodded gently.

"I suppose…" The deep voice replied weakly.

"I'll see you then after work? I'll keep an eye on Hiroaki at work…I'll pick you up.

"Ok, Hiroaki," the deep voice whispered and then the phone receiver clicked on the body of the telephone.

888

"Ok, Kisho, the Seaside Park…" Taku said quietly as he looked over at the table. Katsuo was sitting their grumbling quietly into his coffee. Taku rolled his eyes, said goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Where are you going?" growled Katsuo quietly as he looked up from his coffee mug. His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses.

"None of your business," Taku said sharply as he sat down and started to pour milk onto his cereal.

"It is my business," Katsuo growled as he eyes peered over the dark edges of his sunglasses. Small, inflamed rivers of blood crisscrossed his eyes. "Mom and Dad left me in charge."

"So?" Taku retorted angrily.

"It's my problem if you get lost, now where are you going?" Katsuo growled loudly.

"Odaiba Seaside Park by the Rainbow Bridge…" snorted Taku loudly, "You sure seem to care…"

"Only because Mom and Dad will chew my butt if I don't know where you are, I'm supposed to be watching you," growled Katsuo as he took a drink of coffee.

"The only reason you're in charge is because you're oldest, not because your responsible," replied Taku quietly as he ate his cereal, "I can't believe how oblivious they are sometimes; even I can tell from here…you're eyes are bloodshot you smell of smoke…and alcohol…"

"Shut up, freak," Katsuo responded as he took another sip of coffee, "I'm old enough to do what I want, only one more year of this and I'm outta here…"

"Out on the streets you mean," Taku retorted as he glared across the table. "You're a disappointment to them, that's why they treat you like the second son…"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up, freak?" Katsuo snapped as he put his coffee roughly on the table, "You don't know anything; you're still in little kids' school. You don't know what it's like in high school; it's not all fun and games…"

"I know it's not, and I'm not in elementary anymore, I'm in middle school," Taku snapped back. Taku glared at his brother, "I do know what you're doing is idiotic, you're a jackass, Mom and Dad literally bought you your education; they did everything to cut back so they could get you into cram school and get you tutors and you're throwing it away…" Taku picked up his half filled bowl of cereal and dumped it into the sink, "I can't eat around you; you sicken me…I'm going."

"Good, I want you to leave, you freak," shouted Katsuo loudly, he then winced and put his fingers to his temples.

Taku disappeared into the back of the apartment where his room was. A few seconds later he was walking back holding a toy bat in his arms.

"I'll be back whenever…" snorted Taku loudly.

"Aww, the wittle fweak and his toy are going out to have a tea partwy with his wittle baby fwiends…" Katsuo jeered as Taku walked past.

"At least I can go out in the light of day without having a migraine…" Taku replied as he closed the door behind him.

"Jackass," Katsuo snorted as he stood up and wavered slightly. He wandered over to the sink and put his coffee cup down next to his brother's cereal bowl. "Just wait…you'll get what you deserve…you'll find out you can't get away with stuff in the real world…"

Katsuo walked across the small, attached kitchen-dinette-living room and to a small hat rack where he snatched a black baseball cap and put it on. He slipped his shoes on and opened the door to the apartment and walked out, shutting and locking it behind him.

888

"I don't see why we're in this place," growled Bastemon quietly as she glared in the darkness at lanky figure crouched in the corner.

It smelled of urine and vomit, of alcohol and gasoline, of the stench of humans. She growled as she leaned against a parked human vehicle. They were now in a place called a parking complex, by the sign on its exterior.

A pair of glimmering red eyes filtered through the darkness, "I have told you, our power would not be much in the light of day. Do not worry; our search doth go on without our supervising claws."

"How? Yous have us locked in here," grunted a rough voice. A tall man stood up and walked around one of the metal vehicles. "We should be out there!"

"Fool, if we were to go out now, the humans will notice," replied a fourth voice. Its horned head was silhouetted in the darkness. "They are less, tolerant in the day…"

"And how would you know?" growled the tall man as he stepped forward into the light, "What knowledge of this world do you have, NeoDevimon?"

"I was shot…" growled the demon as he walked into the dim wall light. There was a faded crimson circle on his arm. "I was coming here…when I flew out from the park I heard a shout; I turned and found myself facing a human with one of their weapons, the sun rose and he saw me for what I was and the weapon discharged."

"Did it harm you?" asked Bastemon quietly as she tilted her head.

"No, it is merely a flesh wound," replied NeoDevimon as he swept a hand over the wound. The redness faded back to grayish-white.

"So then why should we worry? These humans do not threaten us!" the man shouted as his pinstriped suit shifted in the light.

"Because, Astamon, one human imposed a flesh wound, as you have seen this city crawls with these vermin like FanBeemon in a hive. Millions upon millions…they are a threat…and that does not even include the digi-destined themselves," snarled NeoDevimon as he stalked forward extending his claws toward the pinstriped demon man.

"Both of you; silence now!" the dark corner of the garage blazed a bright red. "Whilst my powers are hemmed up in this place I will not tolerate your idle bickering!" The eyes glared up at Astamon and NeoDevimon. "I have employed the assistance of one of the locals. He is following Taku, if anyone has a binding amongst these humans to the digimental its Taku. Plus they will definitely be informed by Gennai of its whereabouts, if only to snatch it back from us."

"You put too much confidence in the weakness of this world," snorted Bastemon, "if these humans can be tempted by you, they easily can be tempted away from you…"

"As long as they fulfill my prescription, then so be it," whispered the voice from the shadows.

"And what if it is not…" Bastemon returned haughtily.

"Then they will stave off my growing hunger," replied the voice quietly as a single ray of light played along the ridge of a silver blade.

888

"I see, well I will go make sure it's ok," Haru looked up at the table where his mother and Jiro were eating cereal.

"Yes, dear?" asked the dark haired woman as she looked up at her blonde child.

"I was wondering if it would be ok if Jiro and I could go to the beach, to see our friends…" Haru looked at his mother worriedly. "A friend of mine is having an after school party thing, so I don't know if we'll be home for lunch…"

"I suppose so…" Haru's mother sighed quietly as she took another spoonful of cereal. "Just be home for supper, ok, honey?"

"Ok," nodded Haru quietly as he turned and placed the phone to his ear. "My mom says, 'it's ok'…"

Haru said goodbye and hung up the phone. He smiled at his mother quietly and sat down at the table.

"So, Haru, what is this party going to be like?" asked the woman quietly.

"Umm, mainly talking and planning for the summer," smiled Haru quietly as he ate his cereal.

"I see, how nice," Haru's mother stood up and picked up her cereal bowl. "I have to get to work, are you sure you two will be fine?"

"Yes mother, don't worry, I'll make sure Jiro is safe and we won't be late without calling I promise…" Haru lifted his hand as if taking a pledge.

"Ok, ok, no need to get smart," said the woman as she walked behind the counter and put the bowl in the sink. She walked out of the kitchenette and over to a small coat rack and gently picked up her jacket and a purse, "I'll be home…"

"At five o'clock, and you'll have supper ready by six," Haru nodded quietly with a smile.

"That's right," nodded the woman quietly, "so if you're going to be late…"

"We'll call, I promise, I'll keep extra change for a pay phone," sighed Haru, as he rolled his eyes.

"Right, well, I'm off then, be good you two," said the woman as she walked out the door, out to the hall, closing the door behind her.

"Are you almost ready?" Haru asked his brother as the little, blonde boy ate cereal.

"Almost," nodded the boy quietly. "What's happening at the beach?"

"We're meeting up, with Ren, she found out something," said Haru quietly as he lifted his bowl and walked into the kitchenette, putting it in the sink next to his mother's bowl.

Jiro was soon next to him. The three bowls rested in the bottom of the sink's basin and then a stream of water fell on them as Jiro filled the bowls with water.

"I wonder what it is…" Jiro said as he turned and walked to the refrigerator and pulled out what was left of their supper from last night. "Koromon! Gigimon! Mom is gone; you can come and have something to eat!"

There was suddenly the sound of bouncing and the pattering of small feet. Soon enough two small digimon came scurrying into the kitchenette, bounding and leaping around like starving puppies.

"Come on you two, you ate big time last night, my mom kind of got suspicious when I brought in those sandwiches and then the three bowls of that left over miso soup…" Haru sighed as he watched the two digimon nearly tackle Jiro to get at the food on the plate.

"We're still growing!" whimpered Gigimon loudly as Jiro put the plates on the floor.

"Yeah, you don't want us to have a digivolution dysfunction do ya?" retorted Koromon as he gobbled down the fish on his plate.

"You could be a little more tactful though," Haru sighed as he watched the two digimon inhale the food on the plates.

Three seconds later the plates were polished clean and two In Training digimon were purring quietly on the floor. Jiro picked up the small, pink ball digimon and walked over to Haru.

"Koromon and I are ready, I think," the brown eyed boy smiled as the pink ball nuzzled in the child's green T-shirt.

"Right," Haru nodded as he got up and picked up the red, compact, dragon digimon, its tail sweeping back and forth and its egg-shaped body curled up against Haru's gray shirt. "We better get going, then."

Jiro nodded and patted Koromon's head. Haru smirked silently and gently petted Gigimon and the two of them walk out the door. They lived in an apartment, on the fourth floor. The outside of their apartment consisted of a corridor that extended over to a set of stairs, and an elevator, that led to the ground. Haru turned and was about ready to walk toward the stairs when a small car bumped his feet. Haru stopped and turned. A small boy in green ran up to him, he looked a tad younger than Jiro.

"Hi," said the boy quietly as he looked up at Haru with sharp blue eyes. Haru smiled quietly. The boy's hair was blonde and spiked. "Where are you goin'?"

"The beach," Haru smiled quietly.

"Oh, I'm stuck here waiting for my brother to wake up…" sighed the boy quietly. "He cried all night, because he saw monsters…he's such a baby…you know there is no such thing as monsters, right?"

"Umm, yeah…no such thing as monsters…" Haru blushed brightly as he slowly took a step backward.

"Those look like fancy pets," said the boy as he looked at Gigimon and Koromon.

"Pets? No, no, they are stuffed toys," Haru laughed worriedly as he looked at the boy.

"Nuh uh, they are not, they're alive!" said the boy loudly. "Where'd you get…"

"Yamato! How many times have a told you to stay inside!" scolded a woman loudly, her soft golden hair was short. The woman snatched the boy's hand, "What if someone had taken you, gah; I've told you time and time again not to play out in the hall like this!"

"But Mom!" whined the boy as he was pulled away from Haru and Jiro. "I was just looking at their pets!"

"Well, next time, ask me to come with you!" snapped the woman as she dragged the boy into an apartment.

"That was creepy," whispered Haru quietly. He looked down at Jiro, shook his head and then continued to walk towards the stares.

"Do you think he could really tell?" Jiro asked as he started to walk with his brother.

"Who knows…?" replied Haru as he started to walk down the steps.

888

"It's such a lovely day…" sighed Ren as she sat on the sand. Down by the waterline, locals were fishing. In the distance, ferries and the waterbus were transporting people across the bay toward Tokyo.

"This is definitely a nice place," replied the fur ball resting on Ren's lap. The foxling looked up, "There's Kisho and Dorimon!"

"Shhh, you can talk but not so loud!" hissed Ren as she covered the little, golden fox's mouth.

Kisho ran forward holding a small steely purple digimon in his arms. "Sorry, but I got caught up in this crowd."

"Don't worry none of the others are here yet either…" Ren said as she leaned back on the sand. "It's such a beautiful day…I almost forgot about Matadormon and the rest of this mess…"

"Yeah, I know how you feel…" Kisho said as he sat down next to Ren. His brown hair was tussled and his blue shirt looked thrown on and wrinkled.

"Well, don't forget," said a cold voice behind them. The two children looked up in surprise as a black clad boy walked up to them. A winged ball was sitting on his head. "I'm sure he hasn't…"

"Taku, that's not what I meant," Ren replied quietly, "It's just been such a nice day…"

"Yeah, I know," Taku lifted a box. "I didn't know if any of your digimon had gotten the chance to eat or not, so I…bought these…."

Ren sat up and took the box. "Doughnuts…."

"Yeah, bad food is better than no food at all," Taku replied sharply.

"Woah, these are fancy," Kisho said as he looked in the box.

"They're a day old," Taku replied as he looked at the two children.

"Thanks, Taku, it was very kind of you," Viximon said as Ren put one of the confectionaries down for the little, gold-furred foxling to eat.

"I gave a couple to DemiDevimon before we came," Taku said as he sat down, "My brother has been watching me like a hawk ever since he's gotten home last night…so I haven't had many chances to give DemiDevimon anything to eat…"

"So what was so important?" Shouted a voice, Ren looked up and saw two blonde children running haphazardly towards them through the beige sand.

"Mail my dad got over the internet!" Ren shouted back as she dug into her jeans and pulled out a piece of paper.

"How are things with your mom, Haru?" Kisho asked as he looked up at the taller of the blondes. "I mean…"

"I know what you mean," Haru replied quickly as he panted to a stop next to the rest of the children, his brother not far behind. "Things are fine, no need to worry."

"Yep, Haru and I are just fine," said the younger blonde. The ball in his arms instantly jumped from his arms down to the box of doughnuts.

"YAY!" yelped the ball as he started to devour pastries.

"Oh! Doughnuts!" yelped the compact dragon in Haru's arms.

"Hey, you guys just ate!" yelped the younger blonde.

"Don't worry, Jiro, it's ok," Taku said as he looked at the smaller blonde, "that's what they are there for…"

"Hey, can we focus here?" Kisho said as he drew Jiro into the tight circle around Ren. "What's was so important…?"

"This came to my father's computer this morning," replied Ren quietly as she straightened the paper in her hands, "This message came and repeated over and over and over again…'Ishida Hiroaki, 2834 Heighton View Terrace 345b, Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan'."

Haru and Jiro blinked and gasped at the same time. The other children turned and looked at the children.

"What is it?" Taku asked roughly as he looked at Haru, "You look like a bug crawled up your butt…"

"This guy, Mr. Ishida…he lives like six or seven doors down from us…" whispered Haru quietly as he looked at the others, "We just talked to his oldest son before we left….it was weird."

"It was weird," Jiro nodded quickly, "it was like he could tell that Koromon and Gigimon were alive, that they weren't stuffed animals…"

"Anyways this doesn't tell us anything," Taku said as he sat down on the sand.

"It was sent by Gennai," Ren replied quietly, "this has to be something important, a clue to where the digimental is, or was; maybe this Ishida guy has it or knows where it is!"

"It doesn't matter, he's at work," Haru said quietly as he also dropped down to sit on the sand. "He doesn't get home until six or seven at night…"

"Where's he work?" Kisho looked up at Haru.

The blonde lifted his hand to his chin, "It's not far from here, the…Telecomm building, where the Fuji TV company and where the Odaiba Television station is. He's a reporter I think…"

"If it's not far maybe we should go see him now," Ren said as she stood up, "We can have this wrapped up in a day."

"It's worth a shot," Haru said quietly, "and it would be nice to shift the fight away from Japan…"

"Well, let's go!" Kisho jumped up and looked around.

The others stood up and looked around.

"Tsk, how pathetic…" whispered Ren as she pointed up at a man dressed in a leather coat and a black cap and sunglasses. "You'd think those types wouldn't be around in the middle of the day."

"Not so loud, Ren," whispered Haru quietly. "He's looking at you…"

"He's still creepy…" snorted Ren as she picked up Viximon and started to walk off.

Kisho, Haru and Jiro glanced at the young man and then picked up their partners, walking after Ren. Taku just glared at the young man and snorted as He put DemiDevimon on his head.

"What the heck does he think he's doing?" Taku growled under his breath.

"What do you mean?" asked DemiDevimon quietly.

"Don't worry about it," Taku replied quietly as he started to jog to catch up to the others.

Taku flicked his eyes back and watched as the young man slowly moved from his spot and slowly followed them. The man slipped in and out of the crowd. Taku narrowed his eyes as they came to the sidewalk and walked up to the bus stop.

"Umm, should we take a bus?" asked Ren as she looked at the others.

"Don't be such a wuss," snorted Taku as he pressed forward, "It's what, four or five blocks; we can walk it."

"But, it's busy…" Ren whimpered quietly.

"No, let's not take a bus, let's just walk it," Haru said quietly. "I'd prefer not to pay a bus fare anyways…"

"Yeah," Kisho whispered as they walked along. He looked up at Taku and watched as the dark haired boy flashed his back at the beach. "Taku is something wrong?"

"Not as of now…" replied Taku as he walked his dark eyes quickly sweeping to look forward.

888

Sakura Takahashi looked over her wire-rimmed glasses at the small gang of children in front of her desk. Four boys, one girl, all of them were carrying small stuff animals of different, unidentifiable beasts.

"I'm sorry?" said the woman in an annoyed, shrill tone.

"You see…" one of the boys, a blonde, he was one of a pair of fair haired children. He was taller than the other blonde child. "Mr. Ishida is a friend of our family and he kind of promised to show us around sort of like a tour to see how television works…"

The boy rubbed the back of his head and chuckled quietly. His blue eyes were cast down to the ground and a weak frown covered his face. His feet sort of shifted left and right.

"Uh…huh," said the woman as she lifted her hand and gently shifted her glasses further up her nose. "Mr. Ishida is in a meeting, I'm afraid he will be all day, his schedule is exceptionally busy."

"I knew this was a bad idea," hissed the older blonde to the only girl in the group.

"You agreed with me," sniped the girl back, sweeping her hand up and brushing her long, brown hair out of her face.

"Only because I knew everyone else would agree," hissed the boy back.

"Both of you, she's watching us," said a black haired boy standing in the back of the group. A winged ball with small clawed feet was resting on the boy's head. Ms. Takahashi lifted an eyebrow. The boy blushed and looked down and then looked up sharply, "Are you related to the Takahashi that writes manga?"

"No, we just have the same name…" snorted Sakura quietly as she intertwined her hands. "If you have no other business here; I suggest you leave."

"But we have to see Mr. Ishida," whined the smaller of the two blonde boys he hopped up to the desk and gripped its edge. "It's really very, very important!"

"Jiro, get back," said the older blonde as he reached forward. "We obviously aren't going to get in. It was a long shot anyways."

"But what if…" the boy looked back at Ms. Takahashi.

"No, we'll just have to wait," said a brown haired boy. A pair of goggles was on his head. "Just have to wait…"

"Wonderful, we're waiting and they could be…" the girl piped angrily.

"I don't think they will…not in the sunlight," said the black haired boy.

Ms. Takahashi glared at the children, "What is going on? What is it that you must speak to Mr. Ishida about? It obviously isn't just a tour…."

"Umm…" the kids all looked up guiltily as if they had all forgotten that she was there and had to steal something from under her nose.

The girl smiled and grasped the older blonde and the goggle wearing child, "Gotta go, don't want to hold you up!"

With that the children staggered backward and into the crowd of people entering and exiting the main lobby.

Ms. Takahashi snorted in annoyance and reached forward and grabbed a pen, clicking the end. "Weirdoes with exotic animals and now annoying kids, I don't get paid enough for this…"

888

"Great what's the next plan?" grumbled Haru as he shuffled alongside Ren and Kisho.

"No idea…" sighed Ren quietly as she looked at a clock. "It's nearly noon, we eat and then we go on."

"Go on where?" Taku snorted in aggravation from behind Kisho, Haru and Ren. He walked next to Jiro. "We've got no plan."

"When did you say that Mr. Ishida gets home?" Kisho looked over at Haru, his brown eyes gleaming with cunning.

"Not usually until six or sevenish, why?" Haru asked quietly as he looked at Kisho suspiciously.

"Well, if we can't get him at work, then we'll have to get him at home, right?" Kisho replied as he numbered off his points on two fingers. "So we need to be there…"

"Wait, wait, there is no way my parents will allow me to wander the streets of Odaiba…" Ren protested.

"We won't be wandering…" Kisho looked at Haru and smiled innocently.

"WHAT?" Haru yelped, "No way, no, my Mom would explode if she found us all there!"

"It's this or we allow Matadormon to get his claws on the digimental…" Kisho sighed quietly.

"But come on…" Haru whimpered.

"It won't be so bad, as long as we call Mom first," Jiro chirped as the small boy hopped forward.

"Talking about calling home…" Kisho looked up at the others, "I was supposed to be home for dinner…"

"Me, too," Ren sighed as she hugged the small foxling in her arms close to her.

"I should, too," sighed Taku as he flicked his eyes back toward the street behind them. He narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong Taku?" Jiro asked as he looked up at the darkly clothed boy next to him.

"Thought I saw someone familiar…" whispered Taku as he continued forward leaving Jiro to look back.

"Don't fall behind!" Haru called, and Jiro shrugged his shoulders and hopped after the other children, carrying Koromon in his arms.

"So we're going to Haru's?" asked Ren quickly as she looked at the others.

"I suppose that it's ok…" Haru sighed as he trudged forward and walked toward a large, half-repaired overpass, "Come on, this way…"

"It's kind of weird…that everything keeps leading back to Heighton View Terrace…" Taku said quietly as he looked up at the beaten overpass, and the scarred areas on the street, where work crews had filled in the large gashes in the pavement.

"Maybe it's some sort of cosmic fate…" whispered Ren quietly as she looked at the familiar buildings and shops from when Renamon had saved her from those beetle digimon.

"Well, there's our building…" called Haru as he pointed up at the building ahead of them.

888

Afternoon sloughed by one hour at a time. The others had made the calls to their parents and all that was left was Ren. The boys had a hard time convincing the girl to cal home. Finally she snorted in annoyance and picked up the telephone. It hadn't been going well, she had been on the phone for fifteen minutes but the girl's downtrodden look said a lot.

"Grandma," Ren whined into the telephone. "Please, just this once!"

"She's been on the phone with that old woman for nearly half an hour," whispered Taku quietly as he, Kisho and Haru watched the girl.

"My mom is going to be home soon," Haru looked up at the clock.

Jiro was on the floor playing with the In-Training digimon. DemiDevimon was snoozing quietly on Taku's head. Ren was slouched to one side and sighing as she listened to the voice rattling off through the receiver.

"But, Grandma, Mom said…" Ren started and then stopped immediately and then her head dropped in defeat. "Fine, I'll see you soon…"

"Tough break…" Haru said quietly as Ren slammed the phone down.

"Shut up," Ren snorted as she imbedded the receiver onto the body of the telephone. "My grandmother is such a control freak!"

"Don't worry; I'm sure we can handle things alone…" Haru nodded with a smile. "I mean we're about twenty miles in front of Matadormon on this one…"

"Yeah, we can do this, Ren; we'll come to get you, when we retrieve the digimental," Kisho smiled quietly.

"Well don't push me out the door, she won't be here for a bit yet," Ren said as she crossed her arms.

"Even if Mr. Ishida came now, he'd have to go get the digimental and we'd have to come back before your grandmother came back…" Haru said as he looked up at Ren. "I don't like the idea of lying to your grandmother, you should be here…"

"Hey, Haru, isn't that Mr. Ishida…" Jiro stood up and pointed out the window down to the street.

"Umm, yes it is…he's here early…" Haru said as he ran out of the apartment. Kisho, Taku and Ren ran after him. They stood by the door to Haru's apartment and waited for the elevator doors at the end of the hall to open. A man walked out; he had hunched shoulders and messy hair. Haru ran up to the man. "Mr. Ishida, we need to talk to you!"

The man turned slowly and looked down at the boy. "Yes? What is it?"

"We think you have something we need," Haru replied as he stopped in front of the man, "You see, we need to get our hands on a relic our friend gave you yesterday…"

The man's eyes widened and then his hand planted onto his forehead, "Samson Haru….of course…why didn't I see it before?"

"I don't understand…" Haru whispered as he looked up at the man.

"Well, that man, Gennai…err, never mind, you want that thing he gave me," The man said as he clenched his fist. "Let me put my suitcase away and I'll come right back and take you to the thing."

The digi-destined looked at each other and smiled.

"I can't believe it; we're actually going to get it…" Kisho said as he and the others retreated to Haru's apartment.

"Jiro, get ready to go, we're going to get the digimental," Haru called as he ran over and grabbed up Gigimon.

Ren snatched Viximon and Kisho picked up Dorimon. DemiDevimon glided over and landed on Taku's head. The black haired grumbled as the bat shifted his claws on the boy's scalp.

"Do you have to sit on my head?" growled Taku as he winced.

"Well, it's the head or you can carry me…" sneered DemiDevimon.

"Fine…" sighed Taku.

A knock cracked on Haru's door and the blonde haired boy jumped up. Haru opened the door and saw that it was Mr. Ishida. The man smiled and looked at the other children.

"I see," whispered the man quietly as he looked at the creatures in the children's arms.

"Can we go, we have to get that…relic back really fast," Haru said impatiently.

"Of course, this way, we'll take my van," Mr. Ishida said with a smile and he turned out of the doorway. The digi-destined nodded in unison and followed the man as he walked toward the elevator.

888

"Now what is this?" Katsuo looked up as a man walked to his van. Following the man were the brats that he'd been tailing all day. "So now they have a friend…and a van, how the heck am I supposed to follow that…?"

"Do not fret," said a smooth voice.

Katsuo jumped at the sudden appearance of the voice. He turned and it was the man from last night. Long silken arms, sharp, golden eyes watched as the van drove away.

"So they are going with that man?" said the figure quietly. "What do you know of him?"

"As far as I can tell," Katsuo replied quietly as the van disappeared, "He knows where your property is…"

"Then we'll just have to go after him…" said the figure as he grasped Katsuo around the waist.

"Hey! Hands off..." Katsuo didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the figure leapt into the air.

"Do not speak…" whispered the figure as they hovered in the air.

"So, this is your little day puppet…?" asked a second voice. Katsuo blink and turned his head to the right. He saw a devil gliding next to him.

"Kind of scrawny…" said a female voice. Katsuo looked to his left and a woman was on an up arc of a leap.

"Heh, is this our replacements, Matadormon?" chuckled a voice from below. A demon in a pinstriped suit was gliding underneath them.

"They are heading toward the TV station…" Katsuo shook his head and looked forward.

"Then that is where we shall be as well," said the figure holding Katsuo. "Bastemon, go on ahead, but do not engage them until they have the digimental."

"What about us?" the devil snarled.

"We'll drop down and stop them from running," replied the being, known as Matadormon. "That's where you come in, Katsuo, my boy; as long as you're with us they won't attack…"

888

"What's going on; where is he going with those kids?" whispered a young man with a round face and large, brown eyes. He looked through the front windshield of his car and watched as a man got into a van with five children.

"I don't know but did you catch what those kids were carrying?" whispered the young man's companion. He had a stony, angular face. "I think those are digimon, Hiroki."

"We need to follow him and find out what the heck is going on!" said the young man, named Hiroki. He lifted his hand and started the car. He slowly started to pull away after the van.

"This is getting exciting," whispered the man with the stony face. "After so long, we'll finally get to see them in real life."

888

The children stood outside the TV station. They looked around worriedly.

"I don't like this," Taku hissed quietly as he looked around in the weak, orange glare of the night sky.

"What's not to like?" Kisho asked as he hopped gently in place. "We'll get the digimental, and send it back, and then we're done right?"

"No, this is far too easy," Taku whispered.

"Shh, Mr. Ishida is coming," hissed Haru as he pointed forward. Mr. Ishida was walking toward them, carrying a wooden crate.

"I hope you guys are able to take care of this," said Mr. Ishida as he walked up to the group.

The man lifted the box. Taku took the box in his arms and opened it, pulling out the black crystal ball within. The boy's blackened irises grayed slightly as he looked into the crystal.

"Taku…" Jiro grabbed the boy's shoulder.

Taku blinked and shook his head, "Mr. Ishida, you should leave, we don't want to get you in trouble…"

"What? You mean we're walking back?" Ren yelped as she glared at Taku.

"Yes!" Taku growled as he glared at the sky. He looked at Mr. Ishida. "Go, Mr. Ishida, there is something coming and you can't be here when it does…"

"O-okay…" Mr. Ishida looked at Haru. The blonde haired boy looked over at Jiro.

"You better go," Jiro whispered quietly.

The man nodded and got into his car, started it and drove off.

"What the heck is going on?" Kisho and Ren snapped.

"Heh, how noble of you," chuckled a feminine voice. The children looked up and glowered quietly. The lynx woman snorted and lifted her claws. "Now, hand over the digimental!"

"Never!" Kisho, Haru and Ren shouted. There was a brief flash of light flared into existence and three Rookie digimon walked forward.

Haru looked back at Jiro. "We gotta get out of here!"

"You, my dear boy, aren't going anywhere," Matadormon dropped out of the sky holding a young man in his arms. Behind the silken attired digimon were two others. One a devil in white, spandex-like body armor; the other a demon dressed like a mobster holding up a Tommy gun.

The young man wore a black, leather jacket. A pair of sunglasses was crookedly hanging on his nose. He staggered forward. Taku growled softly as he clenched his fists.

"Katsuo, you idiot…" Taku snarled as he took a step backward.

"Heh, someone has to keep you in line…" replied the young man as he straightened his glasses. "Stealing from others...when Mom and Dad find out…"

"Katsuo you jerk, if he gets this…" Taku lifted a black crystal ball nestled in a black, cooled magma stand, "no one will survive!"

"Don't be stupid, thief!" Katsuo snorted, "I don't know what kind of freaky game you're playing but I'm not going to let it go on."

"Now, if you would, hand the digimental over to the dear lad," whispered Matadormon quietly as he lifted his bladed fingers. Katsuo walked forward.

"Taku, run," Jiro shouted as he jumped in front of the black haired boy. The round, pink ball in the little, blonde boy's arms leapt forward and glowed, turning into a yellow skin dinosaur.

"Wait…" Haru growled as he and a red dragon with black stripes moved in forward. "Taku, take Jiro and run; we'll hold them off."

"Are you crazy?" Taku growled as he stood his ground. "We fight him together…"

"You can't get to the Ultimate level, it won't do any good if we're forced to protect you, now run, take my brother and run; it's the only way that we can keep the digimental safe. Now go!" Haru retorted angrily.

"Are you sure?" Taku whispered as he looked down at the little boy.

"I've never been as sure," Haru growled quietly, "Now run; we'll deal with these guys!"

Taku backed away quietly, grasped Jiro's arm. "Come on, let's get going!"

"Uh…ok," Jiro nodded and ran with the black haired boy.

"Katsuo, my boy, go after them," Matadormon replied as he pushed Katsuo forward. The black haired, young man stumbled forward.

"No, Pyro Sph…" Guilmon started to growl.

"You can't, he's human!" Haru growled loudly.

Katsuo pushed past the three digi-destined. Matadormon smirked as he lifted his claws. "Destroy them…"

The devil and the pinstriped demon walked forward. Bastemon slunk toward the children lifting her claws.

"Matadormon, you won't get the digimental!" growled Kisho as he lifted digivice.

Matadormon leapt into the air and extended a small pair of wings that were folded around his waist. "Child, I have no time for you, I have to see a boy about a digimental."

**888**

**AN: I apologize for the long wait. It's been a long and annoying time for me. I hope it was worthy of the wait.** **I apologize again. I'll try and be a little more quick next time. **


	35. The Battle for the Digimental Pt 2

**I don't own digimon**

**The Battle for the Digimental Part 2 (The Chalices Overfloweth…)**

**888**

"There goes Hiroaki," A man with a stony face pointed as a van drove off. "Let's go…" The man looked at the person in the driver's seat, a man with a round face, "Hiroki?"

"No, Yukio, look…" the round faced man pointed forward. A woman was approaching the group of children Hiroaki had left off. "That woman…she's not a woman…"

"What do you mean, not a wom…" Yukio silenced himself as three more figures dropped out of the sky, a devil, a mafia demon and a creature dressed in long, flowing gowns, carrying a young man. The young man staggered forward. A group of the small stuffed toys in the children's arms glowed and turned into larger creatures. Yukio gasped quietly as he watched. "They, they are digital monsters…"

"Where are they going?" Hiroki whispered as he watched two of the children running away. He narrowed his eyes as the young man ran after the children and their digimon. A few minutes later the digital monster with the silken robes leapt into the air and then glided after the young man.

"Hiroki?" Yukio whispered as his looked up at his friend, his normally hard eyes softened.

"We're going after the one with the gowns, he's the leader..." Hiroki whispered as looked sternly at the other children. His hand reached up and turned the key in the ignition.

888

"Hellfire!" a blaze of flame swarmed around the children. The origin of the flames, a demon dressed in a pinstriped suit and beige poncho with a ruby scarf, smirked and looked at the devil standing next to him. "Hehe, roasted goodie goods…"

"Crash Charge!" A bolt of electricity flew from the fire struck around a pinstriped dressed demon.

"Power Metal!" silver ball bearings crashed into the chest of the devil standing next to the mafia demon.

The flames swept away revealing a cybernetically enhanced velociraptor and a large, black furred dragon with a red triangle on its forehead. The digimon were standing in front of three children, a blonde haired blue eyed boy, a brown haired, goggle wearing boy and a brown haired girl. The attacked digimon snorted as they fell back from surprise. A third figure, a female one dressed in tight, revealing clothes, stood to the sidelines, her clawed hands on her curved hips.

"Wait…" the lynx-eared woman narrowed her hazel eyes. Her pair of twin tails twitched in agitation, "One…two…where is the fox?"

"Right here!" The female digimon spun around as a golden, bipedal fox phased into existence and smashed her clawed feet into the woman's face.

The woman dropped back in surprise as the fox leapt backward and dropped to the ground, kneeling. The woman snarled angrily baring her glistening fangs and flattening her large, triangular ears.

"How dare you?" the woman roared as she lifted her clawed hands.

"Like this…" the fox disappeared and reappeared behind the woman and smashed her feet into the woman's back.

"Vampire Dance!" the woman effortlessly swung around releasing a crimson streamer of energy. The energy flicked back and forth as the fox retreated leaping and scrambling to escape the whip. The woman smirked and twisted her wrist hard. "Tut, tut…not watching…"

"Renamon!" a little girl with brown hair girl screamed. The fox looked down in horror as the crimson whip curled towards the child.

"Ren!" The fox twisted in the air and dove in front of the whip.

The fox glowed and a hard, red exoskeleton was cut by the whip as it repelled backward. The lobster dragon growled in pain as it took up a place in front of the girl. The lobster snarled quietly and lifted its claws, pointing them at the female digimon.

"Oh, aren't you just, ugly," snorted the woman as she glared into the claws.

"Enough of this…" snorted the white, body armored devil as he spread his tattered, crimson wings. "Let us finish this."

"Yeah, this is over," snorted the pinstriped demon as he lifted his Uzi.

"We don't have time for this…Jiro is in real trouble," whispered Haru as he looked down the barrel of the gun. "I promised Mom…"

"We'll crush you and then the Digital World will be ours," growled the devil as he lifted his clawed hands and lifted off the ground.

"All those digimon…Piximon, Monzaemon, all those digimon are our friends…" Kisho whispered as he looked up at the devil.

"Why stop with the Digital World?" asked the female digimon quietly. "With the digimental we could capture this world too and put these pathetic humans into slavery for us…"

"Slavery? Mom…Dad…" Ren intertwined her hands and looked down. "Grandmother...And I was so rude to her…" Ren lifted her head. "Not going to happen. It's time to earn my keep…"

"It's time to step it up," Kisho said as he pulled his tag and crest up from his shirt.

"DORUgamon digivolve to DORUgremon!" A red dragon with black stripes snarled up out of the light. Large, silver chromed wings unfurled.

"Stun Claw!" The synthetic devil's long claws smashed against the dragon's chest and together the devil and the claws released a burst of energy through the crimson furred dragon, freezing the beast.

The devil then glided upwards bringing the dragon with him.

"DORUgremon, do something!" shouted Kisho as the devil started to twirl in the air.

"NeoDevimon's going to throw him into the bay…" whispered Haru quietly.

"Yous got your own problems brat!" snarled the pinstriped demon he put pressure on his trigger.

"Raptordramon digivolve to Grademon!" a golden swordsman launched forward, his two swords crossed against each other. "You won't hurt my partner, Astamon!"

"Heh, just like you goodie two shoes to bring a knife to a gunfight," growled the yakuza digimon as he leapt back and pulled the trigger.

Bolts of energy fired from the barrel of the Tommy gun. The attack plinked across the blades as Grademon was pressed backward by the demon. Astamon laughed as he walked forward.

"Grademon, are you ok?" Haru asked as he watched the swordsman being pushed back.

"I got it…I think…" grunted Grademon as he slid back.

"We've got your back, Haru," Ren called as she looked over at the lobster dragon in front of her, "Ebidramon…"

"I think you're hemmed up," snorted the female lynx digimon as she leapt forward, "Helter Skelter!" flaming felines squealed out a dark void in front of her extended arms.

Ebidramon swung at the felines but not before the flaming cats bit and clawed at the lobster. A golden light shimmered around the lobster.

"Ebidramon…fight it!" Ren yelped as she watched the lobster disappeared into the light.

"Heh, this is over…" the female digimon snorted as she lifted her claws.

"Far from it, Bastemon, it's just beginning," A lithe, muscular, black dragon rose out of the light.

"Impossible!" snarled the lynx digimon as the dragon spread its crimson wings and drew its claws across its metal covered chest. "My Helter Skelter is supposed to de-digivolve digimon!"

"Guess you're defective," growled the dragon.

"Get her, Cyberdramon!" Ren shouted as the dragon drew in the shimmering energy coming from the girl's crest.

Cyberdramon dove down toward the lynx woman but Bastemon quickly did a back flip and then leapt upward to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. A streak of red energy twirled and sliced through the air. Cyberdramon caught the crimson thread of light in her claws.

"DORUgremon!" yelped Kisho as the large dragon was tossed through the air. NeoDevimon dove after the dragon. "Watch out, DORUgremon!"

"Guilty Claw!" NeoDevimon whipped his long, thin arms forward his claws glowing with lavender energy.

"Metal…Meteor!" Sprinkles of silver flew through the air reflecting the street lights. NeoDevimon instantly retreated and flew high as DORUgremon flew low. They both disappeared behind the TV station.

"Wait, for me!" shouted Kisho as he ran off after the two fighting digimon.

"Crossing Blade!" a golden X burned off of Grademon's metal blades forcing Astamon into retreat.

"Where do you think you're going, scum ball?" shouted Haru as he ran forward.

"Let's go," Grademon called as Haru leapt onto the swordsman's back.

"Kisho, Ren, don't forget! Use the recall devices!" shouted Haru as Grademon leapt through the air.

"Right," shouted Kisho as he rounded the corner of the TV station.

"Cyberdramon, don't destroy her, we have to incapacitate her!" called Ren.

"This will be harder than we thought…" growled Cyberdramon, as the dragon wrestled with the crimson whip that Bastemon was thrusting around.

"Vampire Dance!" shouted Bastemon as a second whip flew forward, slicing across Cyberdramon's chest armor.

The dragon crashed into the ground as Bastemon flicked her wrists and swung the two crimson whips upward into the air. The female digimon smirked and then crossed her arms downward across her exposed midriff. The crimson streamers crossed and sliced down into Cyberdramon.

"This is it…" growled Cyberdramon as she tore her claws through the air. Emerald energy swirled and burned into the dragon's hands. "Desolation Claw!"

"Huh?" Bastemon leapt backward as the emerald burst flew past her veiled face. Her emerald eyes glared back down at the dragon. "Such is the life of the ugly, far too insecure to build themselves up; they must always try and make the beautiful hurt. I will not have it."

"Cyberdramon, can you get up?" Ren called as she ran up to the black dragon.

"Can, and will," snarled the dragon as she stood.

"Let's knock Miss Prettypants off her pedestal," Ren said as she eyed the feline digimon in the rising moonlight.

Cyberdramon roared and flew upward, charging toward the woman on the rooftop. "Desolation Claw!"

Emerald blasts flew past Bastemon as the vampire digimon leapt from rooftop to rooftop, into the residential areas, toward Heighton View Terrace. Ren watched as the dragon flew low over the rooftops firing bolts of emerald light after the vampire and dodging red threads of light.

Ren blinked and then realized the Cyberdramon and Bastemon had disappeared behind the buildings. "Hey! Wait for me!"

Ren started to run toward the flashes of light, watching the sky she didn't see two headlights glaring towards her. A car rolled towards the girl and a horn honked loudly. Ren slid to a stop and looked; her face paled as the window glided down.

"Ren Sasaki…." said an aged, angered voice.

"Grand…ma…" Ren looked up in horror as the old woman got out of the car. Ren shook her head. "No, I can't I have to go!"

"REN!" screamed the old woman as Ren ran from her. The old woman growled angrily and stomped back around the car and started the vehicle. She turned the car around and sped down the road in the general direction Ren was running.

888

"Taku, where are we going?" huffed Jiro as the smaller, blonde child was being dragged behind older boy.

"Anywhere, anywhere that's not where Matadormon is," replied Taku loudly.

"We could fight him," DemiDevimon snorted as he gripped the dark haired boy's shoulder.

"No, he'd slash you," Taku said angrily as he pulled Jiro and Agumon into an alley. "I can't win…"

"You aren't alone," Jiro whispered as he looked up at the dark haired boy.

"I can't let you fight…if you ever got hurt, I'd never be able to deal with it…he's already hurt you once because of me…" Taku growled as he looked at the little boy.

"I didn't get hurt because of you," Jiro returned as he looked down, "I got hurt because Matadormon hurt me, not you!"

"He hurt you to get to me!" Taku retorted loudly.

"Guys…we should keep moving!" DemiDevimon said as he peered around the corner, "Mean ol' Katsuo is coming!"

Taku grabbed Jiro's hand and yanked pulling the little boy behind him. Agumon and DemiDevimon rushed after the two children.

"Why can't you just stand up to your brother?" Jiro huffed as he struggled to keep up with Taku. "He can't be that bad of a guy…"

"You wouldn't know," snorted Taku as he rounded the corner and tugged Jiro behind him. "He doesn't think I belong to the family…"

"But…you're his…" Jiro looked up at Taku staring sternly ahead.

"Never mind, it's complicated," Taku grunted as he looked back. He looked forward and pointed, "That way, the warehouses, we can hide there."

"I can't just let you have that pain in your heart," Jiro said to Taku. "I can't believe that your brother hates you…that much."

Taku stopped and turned looking at the little blonde haired boy. His dark eyes were narrowed and his hand gripped the stand of the Dark Digimental tightly.

"He doesn't like me because I'm different, he thinks I get away with things because my parents love me more," Taku growled softly and he looked back and tensed up. "He's coming, we have to go…"

"But…parents don't…" Jiro started before he was pulled along behind Taku. Jiro stumbled along haphazardly behind Taku for a few feet. The little blonde haired boy then looked up. "Do you hate him?"

Taku stopped. He took a deep breath and the continued forward. "Come on, Jiro, I have to keep you out of this."

Jiro blinked and then ran after the dark haired boy. Agumon and DemiDevimon moving close behind the small blonde.

888

The window flared with light. He hopped up out of bed. His small feet made their way to the small balcony connected to their room. He reached out with his small hand and opened the sliding door.

A stream of red light sliced through the air, followed by a flash of emerald light. He winced as he heard the growls of monsters. He shrank away from the loud noises. His eyes closed as the roars closed in around his window.

Suddenly, a shadow swept past the window. He looked up and a large dragon was hanging in the air, large webbed wings spread out. He stood up and walked forward slowly. The dragon was searching turning its head. A metal mask covered the dragon's face and eyes. Metal also covered the dragon's slightly curved chest and metal composed a metallic skirt around the dragon's waist. He shuddered quietly as the dragon turned its head and looked down into his room.

The dragon then dropped out of sight. He ran forward and out the open sliding door and looked down at the street. The dragon swept over the streetlights and flew up to the roof of a building where another person was standing, a woman it looked like. The air lit up again as red and green energy flickered angrily. The two figures disappeared behind buildings down the street.

"What…are you doing up?" an aggressive voice whispered in the darkness of his room.

"I saw them again…the monsters…" he replied to the voice as he looked out into the darkness and waited for the lights.

"How many times do I have to tell you…" whispered the voice as the sound of feet making contact with the floor whumped the ground. Steps walked up behind him and then a hand touched his head. "There are no monsters, TK."

"But I saw them," He replied quietly, "I really saw them, it was right outside the window…"

"TK, go to bed, no more monsters…" said the voice.

"Ok, Yamato," He sighed as he turned and looked up at the slightly taller boy. He looked down and sighed, "but I saw them..."

888

"Cyberdramon, where are you?" shouted Ren loudly as she ran down the street, cupping her hands over her mouth.

There was a sharp crack and a rumble of thunder. A shadow flew over her head. A streak of crimson energy swept after the shadow, clipping one of its wings. The shadow twirled and crashed into an alley a couple of blocks away.

Ren gulped and ran down the street. A car honked long and hard at her. Ren just kept running.

"Ren, get in this car now!" shouted the voice of Ren's grandmother.

Ren kept running. All she knew was that Cyberdramon could be hurt. She heard several car horns sounding behind her. Ren closed her eyes and ran faster.

"Please, Cyberdramon, be ok," Ren whispered as she ran.

She slowed as she came to the alley that her partner had fallen into. She turned and walked slowly forward, leaning slightly forward and putting out a hand to reach out into the gloom. Cyberdramon was lying against one of the buildings.

"Ren, are you safe?" the dragon asked quietly as it stood.

"Are you?" Ren whispered as she ran forward and lifted a hand to gently touch a singed wing.

"Bastemon is more than a pretty face," snorted the dragon as the wing reflexively twitched away from Ren's fingers.

The sound of a car's engine softly purring hummed behind Ren. The sound was matched by a pair of blazing lights. Ren turned quickly and instantly lifted her hand to defend against the excess light.

Ren blinked and looked up. The door to the car slowly swung open. Ren shuddered as a shorter feminine figure stepped out of the car. It slowly walked around the car door and staggered forward eclipsing the right headlight of the car.

"Grandma…this is…not what it looks like…" Ren started to whisper as she looked up.

"What…is? Ren, get away from that beast before it eats you!" the old woman demanded as she walked forward.

"No, Grandma, this is my friend…" Ren replied in a knee jerk response, stepping back and turning to hold the black dragon around the leg. "She's more than my friend…" Ren looked up at the dragon, "She's my protector…my savior…"

"My partner," Cyberdramon finished quietly as she, Cyberdramon, lifted her head and looked at the old woman.

"How touching," chuckled a lively voice from above.

Ren and Cyberdramon glared upward. Ren's grandmother looked upward, too. A buxom woman, scantily clad, with a pair of cat-like tails and large, lynx-like ears was looking down at them. Her hazel eyes glowed sharply in the night.

"Ren…what's…going on?" whispered the old woman.

"Bastemon…" hissed the little brown haired girl as the buxom woman hopped off the edge of the roof and landed on the ground on the left side of the old woman's car. The girl looked up at her grandmother, "Grandma, come over here…"

"With that beast?" snorted the old woman.

"You don't understand, Grandma," replied the little girl as the buxom woman chuckled quietly, walking slowly toward Ren's grandmother. The little girl looked up at the dragon, "Cyberdramon…"

"If I attack; I risk hitting your grandmother, Ren," replied the dragon as its large muscles twitched and tensed.

The buxom woman smirked and walked behind Ren's grandmother. Ren yelped and the old woman turned to face the woman.

"Get away from me, you hussy," growled the old woman. "It's harlots and trollops like you that are making our streets as filthy as they are. Why don't you go home and find yourself a respectable profession?"

Bastemon's eyes narrowed as she glared at the old woman, "Quiet, old bat."

"I will not be told to be quiet by disrespectable little hookers, like you!" snarled Ren's grandmother.

The old woman lifted her foot, and stomped it down on the feline-like feet of Bastemon. Bastemon yowled and glared at the little old lady. Seconds later the back of Bastemon's pawed hand swept upward, smacking the old woman backward. Cyberdramon rushed forward and caught the old woman and then Ren's grandmother screamed as Cyberdramon turned and pushed the old woman into the arms of Ren. Bastemon leapt forward and Cyberdramon grabbed the buxom, female digimon by the midriff and. Cyberdramon pivoted and tossed Bastemon against a dumpster.

"Ren…what is going on?" yelped the old woman.

"Grandma, you need to go home, before you get hurt; my friend and I can deal with this…" replied Ren as she looked down at the old woman.

"Silly girl, you can't do anything…" snorted the old woman.

"Grandma, I'm not a silly little girl," Ren retorted with a frown, "I'm a digi-destined; I can do this, and I don't need you telling me I can't!"

"Ren Sasaki, I never have heard such rebellion from you," the old woman narrowed her eyes. "It's that mother…"

"Don't talk about my mom." growled Ren quietly. "You're wrong about her as much as you're wrong about me. I can take care of myself, my mom is a nice lady; you just don't like her because you don't like the idea of being second fiddle…now Grandma, go home before you get hurt!"

"Young lady…" the old woman started to growl. Cyberdramon growled and pitted her claws against Bastemon's. The old woman looked up at the girl and saw her looking back at the dragon with worry. The girl's eyes then fell back down on the old woman's.

"Please…Grandma, let my partner and I do this," whispered the child as she helped the old woman up to her feet.

The old woman looked up and watched as the dragon crossed its arms against a streak of red light. The old woman then looked down into Ren's dark brown eyes.

"Show me what your friend can do, child," replied the woman sternly.

Cyberdramon growled loudly building up strength. Bastemon and the dragon were again locked hand to hand. Cyberdramon roared loudly and with a grand push threw Bastemon against the wall of the alley. The harlot snarled and was instantly leaping into the air. Cyberdramon snarled and took flight twisting in the air as Bastemon leapt up the wall of the buildings.

"They're getting away again…" sighed Ren loudly as the dragon disappeared over the edge of the roof.

"Not yet, child, the car," Ren's grandmother said as she turned and walked quickly to the running vehicle. "Come on, child, we don't want to lose them!"

"Right, coming!" Ren cheered as she scurried to the car.

888

"Hurry, Grademon," Haru urged as the swordsman ran down the sidewalk.

People looked up and moved aside as the golden armored knight raced by. His azure cloak flew out behind him. A block ahead was Astamon, dressed like a mafia boss.

"We have to get away from these people," grumbled Grademon as he ran, "If Astamon turns and fires he could…"

"I know…" Haru replied sharply, narrowing his eyes. He looked up at the buildings. "Can you jump up there on the roofs and run so we can cut him off…"

"I can try," said Grademon as he launched upward and easily landed on the roof of one of the shops.

The golden swordsman then put on a burst of speed and raced over the roof, leaping to the next and the one after that. Astamon was pushing through crowds of humans and had stopped looking back. Grademon easily caught up to the demon and then surpassed him.

"We can't attack…but we can shunt him off," Haru explained as Grademon continued to run forward. The blonde haired boy pointed over to a construction site, "We got to convince him to go there…"

"Why there?" Grademon asked as he came to the edge of the last roof of the block, looking back at where Astamon was.

"No one will be working there…it'll be empty" Haru said in satisfaction, nodding his head.

"Gotcha," Grademon said with a nodding smile.

"Now, Grademon, he's coming, jump now!" Haru called out as the pinstriped demon, Astamon approached.

The swordsman leapt down, his blue cloak wafting in the air. Astamon skidded to a stop as the swordsman crossed his arms and glared at the demon. The demon growled and lifted his gun. Grademon swept to one side, and advanced. Astamon backpedaled as Grademon kicked the weapon out of the demon's hand and sent it clattering across the street as it landed next to a chain link fence.

Astamon snarled and unfurled a small pair of wings and leapt into the air. The demon glided across the street. Grademon chased after him and leapt over the cars, many of which screeched to a stop. Men and women got out of their vehicles and watched as Grademon shoulder blocked Astamon away from his gun slamming him through the chain link fence, ripping a hole in the barrier between the sidewalk and a pile of metal support beams.

Astamon snarled as his back cracked against the hard metal beams, but he stood up again. The demon tilted his neck, causing the cartilage between the vertebrae to crackle.

"What's going on?" came an assorted number of voices from the street.

"Must be filming a movie…" called one voice.

Haru smiled quietly and nodded, "This is going, well, better than I expected."

"Yous think you can just shoulder block me into a bunch of these heres beams?" growled Astamon as he clenched his fists, "Ha! My whole family is in construction! You know, cement work…" Astamon lifted his hand up and flames swept up around his fist. "I personally like the idea of the kiln, hows abouts I shows ya what I mean! Hellfire!"

Grademon instantly whipped his blue cape around him and backpedaled as the flames swirled around his body.

"Haru, it's getting too dangerous you need to keep back," Grademon put Haru on the sidewalk. "I'll incapacitate him and you keep watch, I'll bring him to you…"

"Like to see you try incapacitating me, Mr. Noble; I'll beat the living stuffing out you!" snarled Astamon as he leapt for his Uzi and rolled away with the gun. The demon rolled into a sitting position and lifted his gun at Grademon. "Well, well, well…"

Grademon lifted his blades crossing them and looking at Astamon above the intersection of the blades. Grademon leapt forward as Astamon pulled the trigger of his gun. The ground exploded in spitfire eruptions as energy bullets smacked the ground. Grademon ducked and weaved through the hail bullets. The bronze swordsman then swept in and sliced forward with his sword. Astamon leapt backward as he reoriented his Uzi to aim it at Grademon.

The swordsman shunted to the right as another volley of ammunition fired forward. Grademon then charged forward thrusting one of his swords toward the demon. Astamon leaned back and twisted, rolling out of the sword's way. Grademon's second sword stab downward at the demon. Astamon swung his arm up and metal clanked against metal as a small dagger, hidden in the sleeve of the demon's suit, strained against the swordsman's blade.

A heavy, spike toed boot slammed into the stomach of Grademon. The swordsman staggered backward. His swords clattered to the earth. Astamon lifted his Tommy gun, slipping the dagger in his other hand back up into its hiding place. The demon smirked as he lifted his free hand and swept his crimson scarf around his neck. The barrel of the gun then belched loudly as the rat-a-tats of bullets being expelled filled the air.

Haru looked in horror as Grademon jerked and jostled backward from the impacts. One final loud 'tat' sent the swordsman heads over heels backward, crashing to the ground in a heap. His azure cloak floated silently down covering the body of the bronze knight.

"No…" Haru whispered as he looked at his motionless partner. "Guilmon…no…"

"Like I said, you shouldn't bring a knife man to a gunfight," snorted Astamon as he glared at the child.

Haru glared up at Astamon, "You will pay!" Haru's fists clenched and he ran forward. "I'm going to make you pay!"

Haru leapt at Astamon but the demon merely leveled a clenched fist into the side of the boy's head sending the blonde child crashing to the ground. Haru growled and lifted his head and stopped suddenly as the barrel of Astamon's Uzi touched his forehead.

"I donna have time for your games, kid," growled the demon as he pressed the barrel against the boy's skin. "So let's make this simple and clean, I'll blow your head off and then go on to finish off the others so we can get the digimental and get outta here."

Haru gulped silently and his blue eyes lifted. "You won't get away with this…someone will stop you; it may not be me, it may not be the other digi-destined but someone will stop you…"

"As long as its not you and not now," growled Astamon as he put pressure on the trigger.

"Grade Slash!" A flash of light ripped horizontally across the back of the demon.

The barrel of the gun lifted and energy bullets fired into the sky. Haru hissed, falling backward and rubbing a small burn on his forehead. Astamon staggered to the right, clumsily turning. Grademon was kneeling; his sword held out to one side.

"No one hurts my partner!" hissed the bronze swordsman as he sheathed his sword.

Tears streaked down Haru's cheek as Grademon stood up and put his hands on the hilts of his swords, the thumbs pressed against hand guards at the distal end of the hilt. Astamon stood up, leaning heavily on his right side; his gun drooped slightly in his right hand.

"Tough guy, eh?" growled Astamon as he glared at Grademon.

The two digimon stared at each other in a standoff. Piles of construction materials, metal beams, wood, and cement framed the background. A bulldozer was behind Astamon and a small skid loader was behind Grademon. Haru slowly backed up as the tension grew in the no man's land between the two digimon.

"This will end here, Astamon," Grademon announced in a low, rumbling tone.

"You think you can finish me? You are as deluded as your little human friend…" scoffed the demon as he winced and gripped his side.

"I'm not deluded, your evil cannot stand," snarled Grademon as he narrowed his eyes.

"Heh, fine then, let's do it…" growled Astamon as he glared at Grademon with his three, glowing, red eyes.

"Draw," snarled Grademon as the swords in his sheathes lightly clicked as they were freed.

Astamon smirked and swung his Tommy gun upward, but Grademon was already sweeping his crossed swords down and back. A spinning and twisting torrent of energy ripped forward like a swirling wind caught on fire. Astamon fired his gun but the energy pellets were caught up in the torrent of wind and flame and thrust back at the demon. Astamon roared as he was caught up in the attack and tossed backward. The blast of energy smashed Astamon into the back of the lowered bucket of the bulldozer. The energy then fanned out against the bucket and bounced back and forth in the enclosed space.

Haru held his breath. The energy slowly swirled as it dissipated. Astamon was lying in the back of the bucket his head flopped forward, his weapon held limply in his hand. The demon's pinstriped suit was scorched and torn and his scarf was shredded.

"Is he?" Haru whispered as he looked at the demon.

Grademon took a step forward towards the demon. Grademon walked over to Astamon and lifted the demon up by its lapel. Astamon's head lolled; Grademon put Astamon on the ground.

"He's out like a light…" replied Grademon quietly.

"Right," Haru ran forward and put his hand into his pockets and pulled out a small black box. He hooked the box onto the demon's deep blue, pinstriped pants and pressed the large, red button on the box's surface.

"Now what?" Grademon asked as he looked down at the digimon.

"I don't know, they're supposed to transport him back to the Digital World," replied Haru quietly.

888

A soft snoring erupted from the mouth of a sleeping human-like digital being. His feet were lifted up on a computer consul. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Suddenly the room exploded with klaxons and flashing lights the human yelped and fell out of the chair he was sitting in. He leapt up and shook his head as he glanced up at the screen. He swept his hands over the controls and looked up at a large, wall monitor as it displayed a map of Odaiba. There was a large, red dot pulsing angrily on the screen. The man's fingers quickly bounced over the keys and he looked up and smiled as two green triangles twirled into existence around the red dot.

"Initialize…" whispered the man as he pressed a large blue button.

888

Astamon felt a strange nauseous feeling squirming up his stomach as he looked around a rainbow of light was streaming upwards around him. He could make out the shadowy forms of that Grademon and its human. He growled angrily and tried to move, but found his body frozen. Suddenly his body felt like it was being torn apart.

His arms and legs burned. His head swam in light as he struggled to escape. His body felt like it was being lifted into the air and then after a few seconds the gravity shifted and suddenly felt as if he was falling. He put out his hands and glared at them in shock. They were short, and gray, made of some sort of cloth. His breathing felt weird and he looked down crossing his eyes and saw a large length of hose stretching from where his nose was to where his mouth would be.

Fear filled his stuffing filled body as the rainbow light disappeared and threw him onto the ground. Rock was everywhere, save one place where a single, wooden spire rose out of the smooth, black rock. The digimon looked around and growled as he saw the water in all directions.

"I, Pokyupamon, will one day avenge this misdeed," wheezed the small stuffed koala. "I will rise to be amongst the rulers of this world!"

888

"Get him, DORUgremon!" Kisho shouted from the edge of the shore looking up at a large, bulky dragon.

Two shadows were gliding in the night sky. One was a red furred dragon; the other was a thin, winged devil. The lights from the shore illuminated the red fur of the dragon as he glided in the sky. A glitter filled the air as silver streaks of metal flew from the red dragon's wings. The devil dodged effortlessly to the left of the shower of metal. The dragon tilted downward and charged towards the devil. Just as the dragon swept close to the devil; the lank figure twisted missing the bulk of the dragon. The devil twisted so that he was facing the dragon's back and then the devil's long arms stretched forward and its long claws sunk into the back of the dragon.

"Stun Claw!" called the devil as the body of the dragon pulsed and its body became rigid. A strong flap of the devil's wings propelled the unholy creature upward.

"DORUgremon, move!" screamed Kisho as the demon dive-bombed downward extending his claws.

"Guilty Claw!" snarled the devil as his claws flicked with energy and smashed into the back of the dragon.

"DORUGREMON!" Kisho shouted as the dragon's previously rigid body softened and dropped in a harsh spiral towards the bay below.

Kisho shook as DORUgremon splashed hard into the water. The devil hovered in the air looking down; its masked face's golden plating shimmering in the city lights. Kisho looked up at the tattered winged creature and slowly took a step backward. A cold, icy feeling grasped his heart as he looked at the calming water.

"He was such a simple fool," said a charming voice. Kisho looked up and blinked as he fell backward. The devil was hovering in the air above Kisho.

"Neo-NeoDevimon…" Kisho whispered as he looked up at the thin, but toned digimon as it ever so lightly flicked its wings to hold its place in the air.

"It makes me almost believe that Matadormon can win this as easily as he thinks he can," continued the devil as he crossed his long, thin arms which were covered in white, tight fabric-like armor. His long legs hung under his body, dressed in wrinkled black jeans. "If you are all this simple…"

"You…" Kisho looked up at the devil and then his eyes fell, "He can't be…" Kisho whispered as he looked at the tranquil surface of the bay.

"Well, he's probably unconscious, slowly suffocating…" replied the devil as he turned to the water.

"I kept cheering him on…" Kisho whispered as he crawled towards the water's edge. "I should've told him to run for it…to stop fighting…"

"You're right, I am quite difficult to defeat, especially for simpletons like you and him…" chuckled the devil in agreement. He shook his head the long, laterally extending horns swinging gracefully side to side. "Really, I'm hardly responsible for this…it's truly one of those times where it was the victims' own fault for being so inept…"

Kisho reached out and touched the warm summer's water of the bay. The waves rolled over his hands gently slapped the earth. Kisho's head drooped, and he closed his eyes.

"Please…don't be dead," whispered Kisho quietly as his fingers curled into the soft soil under the water.

The soft blue light emanating from Kisho's crest grew brighter. Kisho looked down and watched as a small beam shot from the tag and crest and into the water.

NeoDevimon looked down as a circle of light warmly glowed in the bay. The devil growled as he flapped his wings to gain altitude. Suddenly the air was filled with streaks of silver. NeoDevimon snarled as the pellets of metal cut into his flesh. His tattered wings grew more tattered, as metal sliced through the thin, red membranes. A loud roar rumbled through the air as a bulky mass exploded from the water. The dragon, reborn smashed through the air, charging towards NeoDevimon.

Kisho gasped as DORUgremon rammed NeoDevimon. The devil twirled in an arc through the air. The demonic creature twisted upright and stabilized himself just inches above the water.

NeoDevimon curled his long, clawed fingers into fists. His head turned silently and he looked at Kisho. The boy was looking up at the dragon in shock, sitting at the edge of the water. The tag and crest around his neck glowing madly.

"Of course…the child…" NeoDevimon whispered quietly.

He flapped his wings and dove for the boy. He extended his claws. Kisho's face contorted as from slack jawed, empty eyed, awe to glassy eyed, tense cheeked terror as the long claws of NeoDevimon sliced through the air, ever closer.

The ground in front of Kisho exploded as metal filings stamped into the sand and rock. NeoDevimon's wings tilted and the devil swept upward away from the stream of metal flying from DORUgremon's wings.

"DORUgremon…" Kisho looked up at the dragon, "Thanks…"

"If I have to I'll just have to incapacitate you first; then do away with the child…" growled NeoDevimon as he pushed his wings backward and rocketed upwards toward the red furred dragon. One arm short forward and embedded its clawed hands into the chest of the dragon. "Stun Claw!" The body of the dragon pulsed again as its body's muscles tensed. The second other arm flew forward, its sparking claws slashing up the front of the dragon's neck, "Guilty Claw!"

DORUgremon rolled backward in the air and started to fall again into the bay.

"DORUgremon…." Whimpered Kisho as the dragon tumbled downward.

"You should worry about yourself…" growled NeoDevimon as he turned and extended both claws, "Deep Sorrow!"

A black stream shot from the region between the devil's arms. Kisho looked up in terror as the darkness grew in front of him, eclipsing the lights of Tokyo. Kisho's body tensed as a cold wind rushed past him. His arms rose to shield him and he closed his eyes.

There was a hearty growl. He eyes opened and he saw tendrils of darkness swam past him, like last wisps of fog in the morning. Kisho looked in front of him. DORUgremon's silvery wings were curled around him, shielding him. The long neck of the dragon was bowed and the saber like horn on the dragon's blunt face was next to Kisho's cheek.

"DORUgremon, you have to run…he's too strong," whispered Kisho quietly as he looked down.

"I won't leave you, Kisho…" whispered the dragon quietly, "I won't leave my friend…"

Kisho's eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around the dragon's furry neck.

"Stun Claw!" roared the devil.

DORUgremon reared back in pain as his body tensed. Kisho gripped tightly to his partner as he was dragged into the air by the dragon. Kisho swung his leg around and climbed onto the back of DORUgremon's back and he started to pet the dragon's fur.

"Don't, it's ok," whispered Kisho as he rubbed the knotting muscles in the dragon's neck. "It's ok, I'm here…"

The dragon's body pulsed and the knots softened. The forefeet of the dragon dropped to the ground and the silver wings curled. Kisho hugged onto the back of the dragon's neck as he turned to face NeoDevimon.

"You don't learn very fast; do you?" asked NeoDevimon with a soft chuckle, "Allow me to re-teach the lesson…" The devil's wings splayed and then he swept them back, thrusting him forward. His long claws drew forward. "Stun Claw!"

A silver wing swung forward and NeoDevimon's claws clanked hard against the metal. NeoDevimon immediately repelled backward as DORUgremon lifted his head. NeoDevimon growled and launched downward again. DORUgremon swung his tail up and a golden spike at the end of the tail swung up deflecting the claws. NeoDevimon flapped his tattered wings and retreated upward. Kisho and DORUgremon looked intensely at the devil.

"We're done defending ourselves," Kisho said as he gripped DORUgremon's neck. "So get ready, NeoDevimon, because here we come!"

DORUgremon's extended and the dragon flapped his four, silver wings heavily, lifting off the ground and charging upward. NeoDevimon tilted his wings and shifted left, letting the large, red dragon fly past. The devil twisted and flew along the dragon's flank.

"So you're done playing defense?" snorted the devil as he ran his claws along the dragon's side.

DORUgremon yowled and swung around; spread his wings and silver rain fired from his wings. NeoDevimon lifted away from the silver streams.

"That old attack…" chuckled the devil as he extended his arms. "Deep Sorrow!"

The torrent of darkness twisted and washed through the air. Kisho narrowed his eyes and held DORUgremon tight.

"Now, DORUgremon!" Kisho shouted as he closed his eyes and clung on tight.

"Bloody Tower!" roared DORUgremon as the crimson columns of air spun around the dragon and a huge red tornado swept up from the water below and twisted forward toward NeoDevimon.

"WHAT?" growled NeoDevimon as his darkness wave was swallowed by the energy tornado worming towards him.

NeoDevimon tried to fly from the attack but the turbulent air around the strike caught him as it wrapped into the eye of the ruby storm. He was tossed and thrown. Water crashed against him as did rock and silt. His mask cracked and his wings tore. The tornado spun itself out of existence leaving NeoDevimon hanging in the air.

"Metal Meteor!" growled DORUgremon as thousands of metal hailstones smashed into NeoDevimon propelling him hard into the shore. One of the silver streaks sliced through one of the golden horns on the head of the devil, snapping the horn free. "This is over, Metal…"

"Wait, we can't; he'll just get stuck here. We have to use the recall device," Kisho said quickly as he looked down at the prone figure of the devil digimon.

"Ok…" DORUgremon grumbled as he lowered down, landing next to NeoDevimon. The synthetic devil groaned as Kisho leapt down and clipped the device onto the devil and pressed the large red button.

Seconds later a multicolored light enveloped the digimon and sucked him into nothingness.

"We did it!" Kisho cheered with a jump. He spun around and hugged DORUgremon. "We did it!"

"The fight isn't over…" growled DORUgremon as he kneeled down, "We need to find Taku and Jiro."

"And face off against Matadormon," Kisho nodded sharply.

"We better start the search then," DORUgremon said as Kisho climbed onto the dragon.

888

Twisting wind burned his face as he fell. His mind was flooded with the sensation of burning. His data was being ripped from him. He let out a silent scream as he crashed into the soft, plush ground, bouncing several times before rolling to a stop. A wing was bent at a haphazard angle; another was folded over his eyes. His little black paws ached.

He staggered forward, on the soft, multicolored earth. He looked up and saw the blocks, reaching for the sky like skyscrapers. He turned his eyes downward and saw the cradles. The ground he staggered one were also nothing but plush, toy blocks with pictures and letters on them.

He coughed quietly as he staggered forward. His four, squat legs held his rounded, hamster like body. His bat-like wings were in agony, twisted and bent. He looked forward and saw a digimon standing in front of him. A big, red rat, or groundhog, was standing on its hind legs.

The creature looked at him in concern and ran towards him on all fours "Are you ok?"

"I am fine…" her grumbled as he tried to continue forward.

"Are you sure, you look like a very young Patamon, maybe if you would wait…" started the red rat.

"I said I'm fine," He snorted loudly.

"But you are so small, and injured…" said the digimon in reply. "If you were to be attacked, you'd be defenseless…"

"Those who are small, and seemingly defenseless, may, in fact, be the most dangerous and powerful…" He replied. He coughed and struggled on. "Now, let me go…" He walked off leaving the red rat behind. He narrowed his eyes and growled quietly and then whispered to himself, "and to prove it to you, I will become just that, powerful and dangerous, and I will ruthlessly tear this island apart…"

888

"There he is!" shouted Yukio as he pointed upward at a shadow that was zipping up on the roofs of buildings.

"There's the kid," Hiroki said stoutly as he leaned forward, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. The kid was wearing a leather jacket. Hiroki growled as the kid darted into an alley.

"Hurry!" Yukio shouted frantically. "We can't let them get away…"

"They won't get away," Hiroki replied as his round face grew taught as he turned the corner. "I know where they are going…"

"Where?" Yukio asked in shock.

"The warehouse district…" Hiroki said in a quiet growl.

888

"Grandma, drive faster!" yelped Ren as she strained to look up through the windshield to find Cyberdramon and Bastemon.

"I have to watch for the other cars, child!" snorted the woman angrily as she turned the wheel roughly and swung into another lane, much to the noisy protestation of the cars behind them.

Suddenly one of the buildings exploded as a large black form dropped from the walls, crashing onto the sidewalk. Cars screeched and swerved as people looked up and ran in all directions screaming 'bomb' and 'terrorists'.

Ren's grandmother's foot slammed on the brakes and the car screeched as the tires reluctantly skidded over the pavement of the street. Ren was thrown forward and smacked her forehead on the windshield and bounced backward dropping into the passenger's seat.

"What was that for?" Ren yelped as she rubbed her head.

"Would you have rather I ran into that truck?" growled Ren's grandmother as the old woman's sparkling black eyes glared at Ren. "You should've been wearing a seatbelt anyways…"

Ren looked up. She pointed forward at a crumpled looking, black dragon. "It's Cyberdramon! She's hurt!" Ren grabbed the door handle and ratcheted the door open.

"Get back in here!" yelped the girl's grandmother, but Ren was already running down the street.

"Cyberdramon!" yelped the girl loudly as she ran forward.

"Ren, stay away," groaned the dragon as she lunged forward.

A crimson whip sliced into the dragon's back as Cyberdramon dove in front of the girl. The cars screeched to a stop again as Cyberdramon quivered to her knees. Ren looked back and could see the terrified eyes of the people in their cars. The sounds of sirens filled the air.

"We have to get out of here, Cyberdramon," whispered Ren as she looked up at the dragon.

The dragon hugged Ren and opened its red wings and flew upward. "Bastemon…she's here…"

A crimson thread twirled in front of Cyberdramon. The dragon twisted to avoid the ruby energy as it flew by. Ren looked down and saw the flashing lights of police moving down below. She could even see her grandmother's car jerking backward and forward trying to turn around in the growing gridlock.

"Go that way," Ren called as she pointed several blocks to the east, "It's much quieter that way!"

"Ok, Ren," as the dragon wobbled into the direction the brown haired girl had pointed.

Cyberdramon glided slowly away from the debacle below, the dark, night sky covering her retreat. She smelled Bastemon coming after her and would glance back to see where the vampiress was. She'd catch sight of something zipping between the shadows of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Suddenly a streamer of crimson energy sliced past Cyberdramon's right pair of wings. The black dragon twisted to the left retreating from the attack. The crimson rope slowly ebbed toward the dragon. Cyberdramon rolled so her back was to the ground and glared down to where the whip was coming from. She flapped her wings, rolling back and then dove toward the ground.

"What's going on?" Ren asked worriedly as she watched the whip curl away from them.

"Bastemon is going to try and shoot us out of the sky; I'm putting you down, here," Cyberdramon growled as she dropped down and ran on the ground. "Prepare to run…"

Ren gulped as her feet hit the ground. She instantly started pumping her legs to keep up with her partner. The next thing Ren knew was that Cyberdramon had released her and the dragon has taken off again, leaving Ren, running down an empty street.

An emerald blast flew threw the air, followed by an explosion. Ren winced as she watched a shadow leap from a building and disappear back into the shadow of another building. A crimson whip sliced through the air and Ren watched as Cyberdramon twisted and rolled through the curls in the streamer.

The ribbon tightened sharply snagging Cyberdramon. The dragon roared loudly as the crimson energy cut into Cyberdramon's flesh. The whip slammed down smashing Cyberdramon into the street. It then rose and threw Cyberdramon into a building and then swept around and smashed her into a parked car.

Ren looked around feverishly trying to find Bastemon, but all she could find was where the red whip emerged from the shadows. The whip kicked upward tossing Cyberdramon into the air. The end of the ribbon then sliced back and forth as it slapped Cyberdramon in the chest and face repeatedly before slapping the dragon back to earth with a loud crash.

Ren looked in horror as Cyberdramon quivered, attempting to rise to her hands and knees, just as Cyberdramon shakily rose the whip came down savagely slapping Cyberdramon's ribs and tossing Cyberdramon onto her back.

"Cyberdramon…" Ren shouted loudly as she ran forward.

"No…Ren, stay back…" whispered Cyberdramon as she rolled onto her stomach.

Ren skidded to a stop as a voluptuous figure dropped down behind Cyberdramon. The lynx ears held up proudly. Her hand held at an angle from the rest of her arm. Her sharp green eyes looked down at both Cyberdramon and Ren. A fang accentuated smile showing through her veil.

"Bastemon…" Ren whimpered as she looked up at the woman wandered slowly toward Cyberdramon.

"Child…" replied the woman quietly as she gently moved her clawed fingers up to her face.

"Please…don't do this…" Ren pleaded as she fell to her knees, looking up at the scantily clad female digimon. "You don't have to kill Cyberdramon…"

"You don't get it, do you?" chuckled the woman as she extender her right hand out and a single crimson thread dripped from her claws. "You good guys will just keep coming back if I let you live. The only way for this to end is for one of us to go bye-bye, on a permanent basis…"

"But digimon don't die...forever…" whispered Ren quietly. "They just get reformatted…"

"Yes, digimon don't die," replied Bastemon quietly as her smile grew and she glanced down at Ren, "but I've heard that human death is very permanent…"

"Ren…run…" whimpered Cyberdramon as she tried to move. "Let me…"

"Yes, child, run the thrill of the hunt always makes this sort of thing much more arousing," chuckled Bastemon as flicked her wrist and the whip swept up and then sharply down, slicing Cyberdramon in the back, eliciting a howl from the dragon.

"Cyberdramon!" yelped Ren loudly as she looked at the dragon.

"Don't worry…it looks worse than it is…I just need rest…," whispered Cyberdramon quietly as she clawed her way to her knees.

"Stay down, dragon," snarled Bastemon as she twisted her hand and the whip twisted back around and slapped Cyberdramon down again.

"What are we going to do, Cyberdramon…?" Ren whispered as she looked up at Bastemon in fear.

"You're going to die, my dear, and then you're little dragon friend will be destroyed and then I'll consume her data…" whispered Bastemon as she flicked her wrist forward. The whip swung around, and rolled toward Ren.

Ren's brown eyes grew large as the red line grew larger in them. Her arms shook. She screamed loudly as the energy sizzled hostilely. Ren's eyes looked up. The crimson ribbon was wrapped tautly around Cyberdramon's lifted arm. Cyberdramon was propped up with one arm. The other arm burned and hissed as the crimson rope cut into the flesh. Cyberdramon growled quietly as she tried to hold back the tears.

"You should give up!" growled Bastemon as she flicked her arm backward.

Cyberdramon was lifted by her arm and thrown backward, crashing to the ground behind Bastemon. Bastemon swung her arm around, dragging Cyberdramon across the pavement and thrown into a fire hydrant. Water jetted into the air with a loud, hissing roar.

"Cyberdramon!" Ren screamed as the dragon was lifted and tossed like a rag doll.

Bastemon swept her hand downward and the dragon crashed down at Ren's feet. The whip disappeared as Bastemon nodded her head. Ren knelt at the dragon's side.

"Are…you…ok?" Ren choked the words up as tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Give me a few minutes…" whispered the dragon, her head weakly lifted. "I need…" Cyberdramon's head fell to the ground in silence.

"Cyberdramon, get up, you have to get up…" Ren shouted as Bastemon walked toward them.

"It's over, girl," Bastemon said quietly. "Accept it…"

"Please…have mercy…" Ren cried quietly, bent over her partner. "Please, don't…"

Bastemon stopped and smirked, "The pleading whimpers of a child, how sweet…"

Light flooded behind Bastemon. The roar of an engine revved behind the woman. Bastemon turned and lifted her arm to shield her eyes. Her ears flattened as the source of the light rammed her. Bastemon rolled over the hood of the car and dropped to the ground behind the vehicle. Ren looked up in shock as the car stopped, jerked slightly and rolled backward. The car jolted and Bastemon stood up behind the car; the female digimon clenched her fist and slammed it into the trunk, collapsing the metal structure.

The door of the car swung open. A woman got out of the car and stood up. She turned; she had gray hair and weathered features. The woman slammed the door shut.

"Grandma, get away from her!" Ren shouted.

"You ruined my car!" shrieked the old woman.

"Ugh, it's that old banshee from before," snarled Bastemon as her ears folded back, tightly against her head. She lifted her arm and crimson light dripped lazily from her claws.

"You don't have the moxy to do it," snorted the old woman as she glared down the digimon.

"Grandma…don't," Ren whispered as she watched the events go by.

"Vampire…" Bastemon snarled as the crimson light formed into a whip.

"Foolish…woman…" growled Cyberdramon as she lifted up on her hands.

"You're just a two yen hussy," snarled the old woman at Bastemon.

Bastemon narrowed her eyes, "That's enough out of you, you old bat! Vampire Dance!"

"Desolation Claw!" Emerald energy smashed into Bastemon's face.

Bastemon staggered backward and the crimson whip sliced upward cutting the shirt of Ren's grandmother. The old woman hissed as she held her arm.

"Grandma!" Ren yelped as she ran to her grandmother's side. "I told you to run, are you trying to kill yourself? Why'd you come?"

"You're my son's only daughter," said the old woman. She looked down at Ren. "I have to protect you, you're my family, and I won't let you get hurt, because I love you, Ren." Ren looked up at her grandmother and smiled. "You better get your friend out of here…she looks rather…"

Cyberdramon flew past, swift as lightning and grabbed Bastemon by the front of her halter top. The dragon then flew straight up and hovered in the air holding Bastemon out at arms' length.

"Uh…guess she's feeling better…" whispered Ren as she looked up at Cyberdramon.

"You think you're strong because you can beat me?" Cyberdramon snarled as she glared at Bastemon, "That you could threaten my partner, and raise you hand against an old woman? You are more pathetic than the worms that crawl on the ground…"

"How can you…?" growled Bastemon angrily as she struggled. "You were beaten!"

"You vastly underestimate the power of a digimon pushed into a corner," growled Cyberdramon as she shook the vampire digimon. Cyberdramon released one hand and clenched it into a fist. Emerald energy swarmed around the fist. "Cyber Nail!"

A hard punch smashed up into a crushing uppercut. Bastemon was torn from Cyberdramon's claws and flew upward twisting in the air and then crashing downward on the ground in front of Ren and her grandmother.

"Send her back, Ren!" Cyberdramon called down to Ren.

Ren nodded sharply and ran up and clipped a device onto the feminine digimon and pressed the large, red button on the device's face. A rainbow of light flashed over the woman and in the next second she was gone. Ren's grandmother gasped and looked at the brown haired child.

"Where'd she go?" gasped the old woman as she looked up as Cyberdramon landed on the ground.

"To the Digital World…" growled Cyberdramon as she landed on the ground.

"Digi…what?" Ren's grandmother responded with a shake of the head.

"It's the world where the digimon are from…" Ren replied as she ran next to Cyberdramon. The girl looked up at the dragon, "Are you ok? You know we're not done…"

"I have plenty of strength, as long as you're with me," replied the dragon quietly, "but we have to get to Taku, he can't hope to defeat Matadormon alone…"

"Let us go then, we must find him before Matadormon," Cyberdramon growled as she lifted Ren up onto her shoulder.

"Ren, where are you going?" Ren's grandmother shouted as she glared up at the brown haired girl. "I can't let you go; you could get hurt!"

"I have to; the whole world is depending on my friends and me," replied Ren as she looked down at the gray haired woman from Cyberdramon's shoulder.

"Who'll protect you; who will keep you safe?" The old woman called out.

"I'll protect Ren, to the best of my power, my strength will always be fully devoted to the safety of Ren," replied Cyberdramon as she spread her wings.

"How can I trust you?" called out the woman as Cyberdramon lifted off the ground.

"Because I trust her, with everything," Ren called out as the dragon hovered in the air. "Please Grandmother; don't be worried, I want to go. I have to go, or else there will be no safe place."

"You better come home when you're done, or else!" called the woman loudly as Cyberdramon glided into the distance. She sighed quietly and looked at her car, "Stupid hussy, ruined my car…oh well, I suppose I'll just have to hoof it…"

888

"Hello?" She felt something prodding her. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up from under the brim of a maroon hat. It was a Wizardmon. His blue cloak was drawn around him. Her skin still burned from having the data ripped from it. "Hello, there, I was a little worried. You kind of fell out of the sky, I guess it's raining girls; hallelujah, it's raining girls…"

She lifted an eyebrow and stood up, propping herself up with a broomstick, "I'm sorry I'm not exactly amused by your sentiment…"

"I apologize, my brother was always better at this sort of thing than I…" replied the wizard as he rubbed the back of his head. He lifted his sun staff and tapped it on her head. She felt her strength returning. "I'm on my way back to File Island; it wouldn't be unacceptable to have some company…"

"I know I'm easy, but…" she replied as she stood up. She growled as she looked at the long, maroon robes she was wearing. "I always hated this form, far too conservative…"

"Hmm?" said Wizardmon as he looked at her.

"Nothing, my name is Witchmon," she shook her head and then looked in the wizard's eyes. She sighed quietly and started to walk, "Well, come on, File Island is a long walk…"

"Of course, you seem like a nice lady, Witchmon…" smiled Wizardmon as he followed the woman.

"Heh, you don't know me well," chuckled the woman as she walked.

888

"How can I find him?" Haru growled as he looked over the rooftops. "It's impossible they could be anywhere…"

"No it's not, we just have to think on it…" replied Grademon as he looked over the skyline.

"If only we had a tracking system…" sighed Haru as he looked down in defeat.

Suddenly there was a soft beeping coming from Haru's hip. The boy looked down and lifted the digivice from his hip. Five, tiny, blinking dots appeared on the screen.

"What is it?" asked Grademon.

"I think…I found a tracking system…" whispered Haru as he looked at the dots. Two of them were moving towards him and two others were huddled very close together on the far side of the screen. "I think Kisho and Ren are coming this way, then that means the two that are close together…are Taku and Jiro…and their dots aren't moving…"

"That doesn't sound good…" Grademon replied quietly.

"No it doesn't…" Haru replied as he looked in the direction of the dots, "That way, Grademon!"

"Right!" called Grademon as he ran and leapt for the next rooftop.

888

"Crap!" Taku shouted as he skidded to a stop and looked over the edge of the dock. He turned around and glared as he saw Katsuo running toward them. He looked down at the blonde haired child at his side and at the two digimon with them.

"Stop, dang it," huffed the older boy as he ran out of the alley. "Now, stay here and take your punishment like a real man…"

"What would you know about being a man, Katsuo?" snarled Taku loudly as he pushed Jiro behind him. He hugged the digimental close to him. "You're just a screwed up teen…"

"I'm screwed up?" snorted Katsuo as he stalked forward. "You're the freak, that our mom couldn't even bare to carry...the one that our aunt had to have…you're the freak, you're the screwed up one…You're the thief!"

Matadormon dropped down behind Katsuo. His silken clothing shifted and flowed as it settled. He put a bladed hand on Katsuo's shoulder.

"That's right," said Matadormon as he looked at Taku. The black haired boy narrowed his eyes.

"If you want this, take it," growled Taku as he glared past Katsuo to the monster behind the young man, "DemiDevimon and I will fight you alone, you don't need to bring the others into the fight; this is between us, after all…"

"Oh but that would be difficult," replied Matadormon quietly as he pushed Katsuo forward, "This is so much simpler. Hand over the digimental to your brother, or else…"

"Or else what?" Taku growled as he glared at Katsuo.

"That's for me to know, and you, not to," replied Matadormon as he folded his arms over his chest. "Now if you would please, hand over the digimental…"

"Do you want me to blast him?" asked DemiDevimon as he hovered over Taku's head.

"No, it's too big of a risk, even if I hate him, I can't risk getting him killed in the crossfire," growled Taku as he took a step backward, bumping into Jiro.

Taku looked back into the eyes of the child. He grumbled and looked back at Katsuo.

The young man in the leather coat reached forward snatching the digimental, he tugged; Taku growled not letting go, "Give it, freak."

"No, you don't understand, this thing is more than an antique, it's a weapon!" Taku grunted as he pulled back. "If Matadormon gets it…he'll destroy everything…"

"Your lies and games may work on Mom and Dad, but I'm not so stupid to believe you," growled Katsuo as he yanked the digimental, trying to free the object from Taku's hands.

"I'm not lying!" Taku shouted as he pulled back, "You don't understand, that's your problem, you never try to understand! You always think I'm up to something shady, just because you think Mom and Dad love me more, and that's a crock! They do everything they can to give you everything for school so you can get into college and what do you do but throw it in their face…"

"Shut up, freak!" Katsuo ripped the digimental from Taku's hand. Katsuo then clenched his free hand and leveled a swift punch into Taku's cheek. Taku fell backward, but Jiro caught him before he hit the ground.

"Hey, that's not nice, he's your brother!" yelped Jiro loudly as he glared at Katsuo.

The young man growled and shifted the sunglasses on his face. "Yeah, whatever…" Katsuo turned and walked back toward Matadormon. He handed the digimental over to Matadormon. "Here you go. My end of the bargain is held up…" Katsuo smirked and turned around looking at Taku and his friend. "I don't suppose you'd let me get in a few good jabs?"

"Maybe…" said replied Matadormon as he chuckled and stuck the digimental into his cloak sleeve. "Such a wonderful thing, brotherly love…"

Katsuo cracked his knuckles and clenched his fists, "Taku, I've been waiting a long time to do this…"

"Then again…" Matadormon said as he lifted his arm up. The long, bladed claws that extended out of his pink robes glistened in the street lights. "I'd rather pulverize my traitor myself….Thousand Arrows!"

Thousands of blades sliced through the air. Katsuo's eyes bugged out as he stumbled forward dropping to his knees. Thousands of needles stuck out of his back, like a mad acupuncturist had worked on the young man.

"Katsuo!" yelped Taku as he ran forward. Jiro was running next to him.

The blonde child glared up at Matadormon. "How could you? What did Katsuo do to you?"

"Heh, his use was over, thusly, he was superfluous, and I so hate superfluous things," replied Matadormon quietly as he swept his arm down slicing his claws through the air. His eyes glowed slightly as he looked at Jiro, "Like you, my dear boy, I only want Taku, you, are just extra, as such…" Matadormon lifted his claws. "Thousand…"

"Agumon digivolve to…" The little tyrannosaur charged forward glowing, "Magnamon! It's time for our rematch, Matadormon. Magna Blast!"

Streaks of light burned through the air, but Matadormon was already gone, having disappeared in a flurry of movement. The undead digimon appeared behind the children, his claws were splayed and ready to stab the children in the back. Magnamon spun around but Matadormon was too close to the kids to attack.

"DemiDevimon digivolve to…" The little winged ball flew forward and glowed, "ExVeemon!"

A gray fist swept toward Matadormon but the silk clad digimon flipped backward with lightning speed and then leapt forward. Magnamon and ExVeemon dove in front of the children. Matadormon charged the two Champions thrusting them backward.

Taku gently turned Katsuo over, so the young man wasn't facing the ground, lifting his head so the needles didn't dig deeper. Taku glared down at the older boy.

"You idiot, I told you…" Taku bit his lip, "Jerk, see what you've done? He's going to destroy everything! Why didn't you listen? Why did you listen to him?"

"Taku…" Jiro looked down at the young man in the boy's arms. "Is he…going to?"

Taku closed his eyes and bit his lip, "It wasn't bad enough that all those innocent digimons' blood was on my hands, but then he left the stain of my friend's blood on my hands, and then my partner's….now my own brother's blood is on my hands…"

"Taku…no, don't you understand, it's not your fault, Matadormon did these things, the blood is on his hands, not yours," Jiro said a he hugged Taku, "Don't you understand; I wanted to protect you. I want to be at your side; I like you Taku; you're my friend…"

"I got you hurt…Jiro…you need to go, while you can," whispered Taku quietly, "Get out of here, I'm the one he wants…so I'll fight him alone…"

"Taku, you can't!" Jiro growled loudly. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Thousand Arrows!" ExVeemon was pinned to a warehouse wall as Matadormon leapt into the air.

Magnamon was hovering above Matadormon. The undead digimon grabbed Magnamon by the foot and slung him down to the ground. Matadormon then dove down his claws extended. Magnamon barely rolled out of the way when Matadormon sliced through the ground where the Royal Knight had been.

Magnamon charged forward to strike Matadormon while the lank digimon was stuck in the ground, but Matadormon kicked Magnamon in the chest, sending the golden digimon crashing backward. Magnamon growled angrily as he leapt to his feet. Matadormon was on him in a second. Claws sliced and slashed at golden armor. The metallic sandals on Matadormon's feet swept up kicking the knight in the side of his helmet. Magnamon rolled across the ground nearly to the edge of the dock. Matadormon let his hands drop down and he stooped forward and began to run, dragging his claws on the ground and sending streams of sparks behind him. Magnamon barely got to his feet when Matadormon swung his claws upward crossing his arms and slicing X's across Magnamon's chest. The golden knight staggered backward and fell to the ground.

"V Laser!" roared ExVeemon as he pulled himself free.

The energy burst struck Matadormon in the back, but the silken clad, Ultimate didn't react, he only turned and smirked as the dragon charged. Matadormon disappeared as ExVeemon punched forward.

"Where'd he go?" growled Magnamon as he propped himself up on an elbow.

"Don't know…" ExVeemon looked around.

"I'm where you wouldn't expect…" chuckled Matadormon's voice as he appeared in front of ExVeemon. The dragon didn't even get a chance to look down before claws sliced up his torso.

"EXVEEMON!" yelped Taku as he watched the dragon simply fall backward, crashing to the ground.

"You'll pay for that!" growled Magnamon as he leapt forward, clenching his fist, "Magna…."

Magnamon was sent flying backward by a roundhouse kick from Matadormon. Matadormon turned to Taku and Jiro and slowly stalked forward. He lifted his claws menacingly. Taku hugged his brother closer, while trying to shield Jiro.

"You want me, take me, just leave everyone else alone!" shouted Taku loudly.

"You incredible fool…you see, I could just take you, but the others would come looking, and I don't want that so in order to stop them I'll have to kill them," replied Matadormon quietly as he leapt over Taku and landed behind the black haired boy. Jiro turned and backed up against Taku.

"Leave him alone!" shouted a voice. Jiro smiled hopefully as he looked up. Grademon leapt down with Haru. The swordsman's blades were crossed.

"Or feel the bite of my blades," threatened Grademon as he glared at Matadormon between the swords.

"How could you pick on a little kid like that?" Jiro's smile grew larger as he recognized Ren's voice. Cyberdramon landed next to Grademon, the black dragon growled as she clenched her fists.

"Disgusting, you call yourself a digimon," growled Cyberdramon as she tightened her fists.

"You coward!" Kisho's voice called. The boy was riding on DORUgremon. The red furred dragon landed gently behind Grademon and Cyberdramon. Kisho slipped his goggles over his eyes, "You may be tough against a couple of Champion digimon, but how would you like to take us on…together?"

"Yeah, we're taking you down; not even you can handle us together!" growled DORUgremon

"Finally we're together…" Jiro smiled brightly. "Together we're unbeatable…"

"Fools...to even think your exhausted digimon have a chance," Matadormon said as he held his hands together as if in prayer. "Your destruction is at hand…" Matadormon twisted and leapt into the air, bringing his foot down, hard, on the ground. "Butterfly Trumpet Kick!"

Jiro's face fell as the tsunami of energy flew up from Matadormon's foot. The energy wave flew forward and engulfed the three Ultimate digimon. Jiro slumped down as the three Ultimate digimon crashed to the ground unconscious, their partners out cold next to them.

"Jiro, run…" whispered Taku quietly, "Go, I'll hold him, but you have to run…"

"No, Taku, he'll kill you!" Jiro retorted loudly.

"Maybe it's better that way…" Taku whispered as he hugged his brother closer, "The world, the digi-destined, might be better if I never existed…"

"TAKU STOP IT!" Jiro grabbed the dark haired boy and slapped him. "Kougen said that Light was supposed to heal things…" Jiro looked up at Taku, "I want you to feel better, I want you to live…you can't want to die, we need you; I need you. You're…my friend. I didn't know what my place was until I saved you in the chapel…If you died now, then that means all the things we've done would've been worth nothing…you can't hate yourself so much to want to die…"

"This is all my fault, the death, the destruction…" Taku said as he looked down at his brother. "If I'm going to fix this, I have to do it alone…"

"No, this is Matadormon's fault, he tricked you, he killed, he hurt, he destroyed," Jiro retorted. "He's the one that hurt me, he's the one that hurt your brother and he's the one that killed DemiDevimon! If there is anyone to hate here…" Jiro turned his head and glared at Matadormon, "It's him…his evil and sickness is what has made the Darkness seem so bad…" Jiro hugged Taku's arm, "but in reality, Darkness can be quite wonderful, if seen with the right Light…you can't do this alone, Taku, let me help…let me in…"

Taku looked down at the little blonde child. He then looked at Matadormon. His eyes then dropped down to his brother, who was propped up against him. The blood was covering him.

"Matadormon…you…don't deserve any mercy…" Taku whispered under his breath. ExVeemon stood up and stood behind Taku. "If it takes my last breath I'll send you to whatever hell you evil scumbags go to…"

"Heh, you and that weak dragon have no chance against me…" snorted Matadormon as he lifted his claws.

"He's not alone," Jiro replied as he glared up at Matadormon. Magnamon stood next to ExVeemon. "You're a monster, the epitome of evil, and if anything is ever to get better, then you have to go away, forever!"

The two crests, Dark and Light shone in their respective tones.

"What's that sound…?" whispered Taku as he heard a soft beating in his ears. "Is that my heartbeat…? No, it's…it's…" He looked down at the small, blonde haired child sitting next to him, huddled together; holding his fallen brother.

Taku and Jiro looked up at Matadormon, "Get him…"

The two, Champion digimon charged forward, and as they flew over the two digi-destined's heads the Crest of Light and the Crest of Darkness exploded forward with energy. The Chalices of Light and Darkness had overflowed, and their contents mixed, shadow and shine, day and night, Light and Darkness. Not since the time of Lucemon had the powers of Light and Darkness worked together, and now their true power would be seen, not as enemies, but as allies.

"Magnamon…"

"ExVeemon…"

"DNA digivolve to…."

**888**

**AN: HA! Longest chapter I believe! I covered lots of ground so hopefully it didn't come off as mishmashed, must say though that the last scene came off better than I believed.** **Though I have to admit, Jiro's little The Darkness is quite beautiful thing was kind of creepy…so I changed it to wonderful...  
**

**I also loved the fact that they were all, 'ha, we have you now Matadormon', and he just pwned them into next with one attack…**

**And guess you all know what they'll DNA digivolve into…huh? Especially since I'm not entirely sure myself... hehe...I'm serious, I've been rethinking things, so we'll see how it comes out next chapter...  
**


	36. The Fall of the Lord

**I don't own digimon**

**The Fall of the Lord; The Rise of the Beast**

**888**

The strikes of light and darkness wrapped around in tight concentric ribbons. Matadormon staggered backward as the energy warped the space around the bubble formed. He narrowed his eyes as the energy condensed. Six wings, three white wings on the right side and three black wings on the left side, unfurled as the new digimon emerged from the shadows beyond the fading light. Golden armor covered digimon's torso. Black, spiked shoulder pads stretched from the digimon's clavicle over its shoulder to its shoulder blade. A helmet covered the digimon's head; the head gear was made of onyx and two eyes glowed out of the eye holes. Its muddy golden upper arms were exposed to the air and extended into gauntlets over the forearms and hands of the digimon. The left gauntlet was black, with a white spike protruding from the metacarpal region of the digimon's hand; the right gauntlet was platinum white with a black nail poked out of the armor. Five claws extended from each gauntlet. Onyx, thigh armor covered the digimon's upper legs. Two cannons were attached to its hips; the right one was covered in platinum armor the left one bathed in black armor. The digimon's murky yellow flesh was exposed on the lower legs and clawed, dragon feet.

"We are Paildramon," replied the voices of Magnamon and ExVeemon as the leftover crest energy soaked into his armor. Magnamon and ExVeemon's voices growled loudly, "You've harmed our partners; prepare to be deleted…"

"Our digimon…" whispered Taku as he looked up at the golden plated torso of the dragon's back, the black and white wings extending out of wing ports in the armor.

"Magnamon and ExVeemon merged…to become one super digimon…" Jiro said as he hugged Taku tightly.

"So you're going to test your mettle against me…" Matadormon splayed his metallic claws. "It will be your last experiment…" In an instant Matadormon was charging forward his bladed fingers drawn. "Die!"

The sword-like claws clashed against a white gauntlet and a black, lengthened spike. Paildramon looked down at the shorter digimon. Matadormon leapt backward, the sleeves of his pink, silken gown sweeping behind him, disappearing into the shadows of the warehouse.

"How can a beast, like you, have the powers of Light and Darkness?" snarled the voice of Matadormon from the shadows of the metal sided warehouses. The orange glow from the lights hanging over the sliding front doors of the industrial buildings swept out large circles of apricot light, but left large impenetrable shadows. "How can you control such power, no one but the most powerful of angels could control the harmonious energy…and now I see it in your eyes, the powers of the unholy and the holy. You must be under great strain to keep you from exploding from the power broiling under your flesh…"

Paildramon refused to respond, his crimson eyes scanning the shadows for the source of the voice. Chuckling echoed from the shadows. Paildramon's eyebrows tightened in aggravation not being able to detect the direction of the echoing voice.

"I see, you're terrified, afraid that you'll fail your little masters…" chuckled Matadormon as his voice flooded the dock.

"Shadows do not frighten us, anymore, Matadormon," Magnamon's voice replied smoothly confidently. Paildramon slowly turned his head side to side, scanning over pyramids of crates and his fallen fellow digimon. ExVeemon's growling voice continued, "You are the one hiding, not us, we are here. If you want to destroy us, come and get us…"

The shadows erupted as Matadormon launched forward. He twisted horizontally, the long, flowing red and pink sleeves twisting around his body, his claws extended forward. Paildramon sliced his platinum spike forward. Matadormon slid his blade edged sandals in the cement ground and elegantly shunted left just as his the pointed spike swiped, inches past his emerald armored chest, and leapt into the air. He zigzagged across the sky and then dove downward his claws extended. Matadormon sliced down but just before striking he shunted backward out of Paildramon's reach. Paildramon snorted as he watched Matadormon repeat the tactic this time he didn't move or react as the long robed digimon swept and shunted around the large, armored dragon.

888

"Is…is something wrong?" whispered Jiro into Taku's ear, "He's not moved since Matadormon started doing this dancing thing…you don't think he's broken already do you?"

"No…I think I know what he's doing…at least what DemiDevimon is doing…" Taku replied as he narrowed his eyes. Katsuo coughed, rousing Taku out of his thoughts. Taku looked down at the young man in his arms, "Are you ok, Katsuo?"

The young man looked up at the black haired boy, his eyes were unfocused, "Taku…what happened?"

"Don't worry, you'll be ok…" Taku assured as he stroked the older boy's hair. "I promise everything will be fine…"

"I…didn't…know…" Katsuo whispered, "I…thought…"

"Don't talk, you have to conserve your energy, you've lost a lot of blood," Taku replied as he smiled down at the young man. "Just rest…"

The young man's dark eyes closed and his breathing steady a little. There was a hiss in Katsuo's breath. Taku hugged Katsuo a little closer, eliciting a groan.

"Oh…don't do that…idiot…" hissed Katsuo as his black irises looked up at Taku's. "It hurts…jerk…"

"Sorry, dumbbutt…" Taku grumbled as he gently lightened his hold.

"Do you two have to talk like that…?" Jiro whispered as he looked at the two black haired brothers. His brown eyes fell on Katsuo. "You should be happy you're not dead and that Taku didn't leave you…"

"It's ok," Taku whispered as he looked at his brother, "you can't change overnight…"

"I know; you're still a little dweeb…" coughed Katsuo quietly as his eyelids gently slid shut.

"If you didn't have needles in your back…" Taku whispered as he gave Katsuo a hug, letting the older boy groan loudly.

Jiro only shook his head. He turned to look back and his chocolate eyes widened in shock. Matadormon was driving forward, his metallic foot ware 'tinked' across the cement rapidly. The vampire digimon's claws sliced upward in position to slice Paildramon stem to stern. Jiro winced, closing one of his eyes tight, and squinted the other close, causing his face to scrunch up in a distasteful expression. Matadormon's long, light-reflecting claws sliced into the dragon. Taku's hands shook as he clasped Jiro's shoulder and then he heard Jiro gasp as the image of the armored Paildramon shimmered and disappeared in streaks.

888

Matadormon growled and stepped back in shock. He bumped up against something hard and metallic and he turned slowly. His vision was filled with golden armor. Matadormon's eyes lifted to see the onyx helmeted head of Paildramon glaring down at him with brick red eyes. The dragon's onyx gauntlet rose; the long white spike lengthened, sparking and snapping with holy energy. The gauntlet stinger's glow caused Matadormon to squint to save his retinas the searing pain of the glare.

"Sting Strike!" roared the dragon as he drove the spike forward.

Matadormon's lightning fast reflexes were the only thing that saved him from being skewered by the burning stinger. His clawed hands pressed against the burning spike, holding the point away from his body, as his hand hissed and sizzled, touching the holy light at bay. Matadormon growled as the dragon's other arm lifted, the black spike swarmed with dark energy. Matadormon immediately smashed one of his blade sandals into the golden armor on Paildramon's torso. The dragon was pushed back as Matadormon flipped toward the children. His claws splayed as his golden eyes glowed with a red tint.

"Not so fast!" Paildramon's dual voice called out as he pushed one of his gauntlets forward, "Cable Catcher!"

The long clawed fingers fired from the gauntlet, attached to large ropes. The claws wrapped around Matadormon's leg and then Paildramon yanked hard on the ropes attached to his gauntlet, jerking Matadormon into the air. Matadormon growled as he twisted into position and swept his hand down, his sleeve exploded as needles fired down at Paildramon. Matadormon smirked as the claws released him and slipped into the smoke. His silk gowns ruffled in the air as he crossed his arms in confidence.

"Not half the challenge he believed himself to be…" snorted Matadormon haughtily.

"Desperado Blaster!" growled the voice of the dragon, from behind Matadormon.

The demon spun around to find two twisting beams of energy, one dark, one light, firing toward him, extending from the pair of cannons swiveled forward on the dragon's hips. The first beam to hit was the dark beam, it smashed against him like an ocean wave, driving him into the ground. The light beam then seared over his body. Matadormon, for the first time in a long time, screamed in pain. Matadormon rose to his feet and hunched forward, his muscles burnt and aching.

"Lucky shot…" coughed Matadormon hoarsely; he could taste iron on his tongue and looked down. Specks of crimson were splattered the ground in front of him. He lifted a clawed finger and slid the metallic blade gently along his chin. The blade was stained with a red fluid. Suddenly his heart contracted like it was squished in a vice. He shuddered but willed the pain away.

Matadormon glared up at where the dragon was hovering and then his eyes fell down to where Taku and the other, blonde child were. Matadormon's golden eyes narrowed. He could hear their excited breaths hissing in and out, and the wheeze of the Chalice of Darkness's fallen brother trying to pull in good air whilst pushing out stale air. Paildramon was high in the sky hovering on his leathery wings. The children were defenseless, close to him and powerless to stop one of his attacks. He smirked as the plan unfolded in his mind and then nodded.

The two children's eyes grew as he charged towards them at his fastest. His claws glistened and he could hear blades' yearning for innocent blood. His burnt and tattered clothes flapped in the wind as he cut through the air. He was going to win; the brats would lose.

Suddenly his forward motion stopped and a sharp pain raced up from his stomach. Matadormon looked down in shock as he saw the blunt face of Paildramon's platinum gauntlet smashed against his body. The spike had plunged into Matadormon's gut. The digimon glared up at the dragon, but his anger quickly was washed aside by terror as he saw the black gauntlet raised and the glowing spike it had diving toward him. Matadormon's rigid, wide eyes looked up at the cold, expressionless eyes of Paildramon and then the glowing spike drove into his chest.

It was like an electrical circuit had been completed. Immense energy tore through Matadormon's body, jerking and yanking the digimon's muscles. His body shook and jarred as the energy snapped and crackled inside and outside of his skin. He felt something wriggling inside of him in discomfort and he heard a dark scream of anguish in his head.

"Is that you Arkadimon?" Matadormon hissed between coughs that tossed burning, crimson fluid onto Paildramon's golden armor. Matadormon's eyes closed, _"You can feel it too…can't you? That funny weakness in the heart."_

Matadormon felt something, a power, building up inside his stomach. His arms lashed forward and his legs kicked up. Paildramon was pushed away, the spikes on the dragon's gauntlets ripping free from Matadormon's chest. Paildramon's attack was still rippling through his body but its intensity was fading.

His vision was fuzzy. All he could see was a half shining figure rising in his field of vision. He tried to move but his muscles wouldn't work, they refused the commands, the pleas to twitch. A hammer of darkness smashed him into the ground and then a burning brightness torched his flesh, then darkness. Sensation left Matadormon's mind.

888

"I'll do it, you stay with your brother, Taku," A young boy ran forward. The boy clipped the device onto the unconscious demon. He pressed the red button and watched as a rainbow of light swarmed around Matadormon.

Paildramon walked over to the other digimon who were lying on the ground, still drained from Matadormon's attack against them. Paildramon knelt down next to the digimon and the humans lifting his platinum gauntlet.

"The power of Light, protect these friends," A stream of energy flowed from the dragon's gauntlet to the digimon and the children. The dragon then stood and stepped back.

The digimon rose from their slumber and shook off the lingering aches and pains they had. The children shook their heads as they looked up. There were three of them, a brown, spiky haired boy, a girl with long brunette hair and a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. The digimon that rose up behind them included a black, bipedal dragon, with taut stomach muscles and metallically covered chest and hips with large crimson wings, and pulsing, tense, muscular arms. A massive, four-legged, red dragon with tiger stripes on its leads and neck, with a horn on its blunt, white tipped snout. Large silvery wings extended off the dragon's back; tiny golden rings on the silver appendages, tinkled as they hit each other. The last was a regal looking humanoid digimon, covered head to toe with bronzed armor. Two spire-like spikes rose up off the knight's shoulders and an iridescent blue cape curled and waved behind him. A sheath was at each hip of the digimon. Each sheath held a thin blade.

"Woah…who are you?" The girl asked as she eyed the dragon.

"We are Paildramon," replied the digimon with a nod.

"We?" Haru said as he rubbed his head.

"He sounds like Magnamon and ExVeemon…" whispered Cyberdramon, "does that mean that they…?"

"Yes, we DNA digivolved," replied the dragon with a nod. "We also sent Matadormon packing."

"It's that guy! That guy that…Taku is holding…" The girl yelped as she pointed to a young man with needles imbedded in his back.

"Matadormon attacked him…" The blonde boy noted as he looked over at Taku and Jiro. "But, why, that guy was helping him…"

"Because Matadormon would do anything to get to me…without getting to me," Taku growled as he glared at the ground. The black haired boy was holding the young man that the girl was pointing at.

"I don't understand…" the third child said, a brown haired boy.

"Katsuo is Taku's brother," replied the young boy who had sent Matadormon away. He was a smaller blonde. "Matadormon hurt Katsuo to make Taku feel…"

"Yeah…" whispered Taku as he looked down at the young man.

"I hate to bring this up…but Matadormon isn't destroyed, but just sent back to the Digital World," said Paildramon in the dual voice that he had assumed.

"Not only that but he has the digimental," said the young boy.

"What?" yelped the other children.

"What do you mean, Jiro?" said the other blonde child.

"He means what he said, Matadormon has the digimental…" sighed Taku as he looked at Katsuo. "I didn't have a choice…"

"What are we going to do?" Haru asked frantically as he looked at the others. His blue eyes leaping from Taku to the young man he was holding. "And why are you holding that guy? He's in cahoots with Matadormon!"

"It's his brother," growled Jiro as he glared up at his own brother. "Matadormon…umm…" Jiro blushed as he pulled at his color, "stabbed him in the back…sort of…"

"So what are we supposed to do? It's not like we can leave Taku's brother here to die," Haru fumed as he started to pace, his shoes scuffing on the cement ground. His shadow in the circle of peach colored light swept back and forth like a black theatre cape. "Not only that but Matadormon's there and we're here, not to mention he's going to have days to rejuvenate whilst we only have, what, a few minutes?"

"Haru settle down," Kisho placated raising his hands up and turning to where Taku and Jiro were kneeling. "We'll figure things out…"

Taku was still holding up his brother, the needles sticking out of his black, leather coat. The young man's sunglasses must have fallen off his face and skidded because they laid at the edge of the light. There was a dark stain that seemed to reach out in all directions around the young man.

"We're going to have a problem very soon…" announced Cyberdramon as the black, muscled dragon turned its metal plated face back. "A vehicle is coming…"

"Gah, if it's my grandmother, and if she sees this…" Ren grumbled as she shook her head, tossing her brown hair around.

"It's not your grandmother," Cyberdramon whispered as she flexed her large, red wings. Her clawed hands clenched.

"Guys, get out of sight…" Kisho hissed, pushing DORUgremon, as he looked around feverishly for a place to hide the digimon.

"Don't bother," sighed Haru as the blonde winced.

Lights flared across the dock as the sound of a purring engine grew louder. The lights died suddenly tossing the area into a perceived pit of darkness. As the children blinked the click of a car door followed by the groan of a hinge filled the children's ears. Two doors slammed shut, out of synch, one coming slightly after the other. The children could only pick out two shadows approaching them. The digimon growled softly, their muscles tensing in anticipation.

"Oh…my…," gasped the first voice, a deep baritone.

"I know; it's so exciting…" replied the other voice, slightly higher pitch, but the voice had a much more textured charming tone than the other, which just had a hollow deepness.

The two people walked into the light. They were both men, which was much of a surprise considering their voices. One was in a white, button down work shirt and suit pants. His face was pale and rigid, though it was stretched with an expression of awe. The hair was messy and dark, and looked sharp and oily. His nose was large, almost Romanesque, but relatively blunt and narrow. The other man was relatively average looking, save for the softness of his face, and its seemingly perpetual youth and youngness. His hair was neatly combed and soft looking. He was wearing a blue uniform with a silver badge with his name on the upper left chest.

"Are you…digital…monsters?" whispered the first man as he lifted his hand up toward Cyberdramon's snout.

"Not now, Yukio," snorted the softer faced man as his eyes narrowed and fell on Taku and Jiro. He ran forward his shoes clapping on the ground. He ran to Taku and knelt down looking at the black hair young man in Taku's arms. "He was hurt…"

"Yeah…he's my brother," Taku grunted as the man generally inspected the young man. Taku looked at the man, "It was…a digimon…"

"Digi…mon…" The man with the stony face played with the word on his tongue, then his eyes widened, "Digital Monster…Digimon…"

"The one that chased you, the one in the long robes…" said the round faced man in the blue suit.

"Matadormon…" Jiro nodded as he looked up at the man. "He fired his blades into Katsuo's back…"

The man gently inspected the blades, where they perforated Katsuo's jacket, "The jacket saved him…"

"You mean…" Taku whispered as he looked down at the young man.

"We need to get him to a hospital…" The man replied sternly as he cupped Katsuo up in his arms.

"But, Hiroki, we just met the…" started the pale faced man.

"This is far more important," said the man as he staggered forward, carrying the young man in his arms. "Yukio is your trench coat in the car?"

"Yes, but…" the stone faced man watched the man pass.

"I need something to lay him down on," snapped the man loudly as he stood by his car. He glared up at the stony faced man. "Well, open the door, Yukio!"

The stony faced man jumped at the command and ran to the car and pulled up on the door handle to the back door swinging it open. The man reached in and pulled out a long, gray trench coat.

"Ok now lay the coat down flat on the car seat…" instructed Hiroki as he looked down at the young man. Yukio nodded and leaned back in the car.

"What's going on?" whispered Katsuo quietly, as he looked up at the man holding him. "Are you a cop?"

"Nope, just a security officer…" smiled the man. He moved as Yukio stepped back and got out of the way, "This may hurt, a little, but you need to lie on your stomach and put your face on its side...can you move?"

"I think so…" grunted Katsuo as he lifted his arms. Hiroki gently leaned Katsuo against the edge of his car. The boy whimpered slightly as he lay on the car frame. The skewers stuck out of his back. Yukio shook slightly as he saw the dampness of the boy's jacket.

"He's lost a lot of blood…" whispered the stone faced man as he helped his friend shift Katsuo into the car. After they had slowly laid Katsuo in the back the gentle faced man turned back to the group of children. "Do any of you want to come with me?"

The children all looked at Taku. The black haired boy looked at his arms and hands. They were covered in red blood that was drying and glistening. Taku's dark eyes glanced up at the other children.

"I…can't…" Taku whispered as he stood up. "I have to get the guy that did this…"

"What do you mean, I thought a digimon did this," the slate faced man stared at the children.

"We couldn't destroy him, we just sent him back to the Digital World…" explained Ren as she looked at the others. "We have to go and get something that he took with him…he's trying to take over the world…"

"I can't stay, it's already been several days in the Digital World…" Taku whispered as he clutched a small box shaped object at his hip. "But…if you could, contact my mother and father…"

"Of course, son, what's your parents' name?" asked the man in the uniform.

"Yoshida, Ai and Katsuharu…" replied Taku loudly as he slowly lifted the object up. "Make sure they take good care of Katsuo…he really needs it…"

Hiroki nodded quietly and grasped Yukio by the shoulder. "Come on, we need to go…"

"But…I…" Yukio flustered and waved his hands in protest but a single stern look from the round faced security guard stopped the questioning and Yukio got into the passenger seat of the small, silver car.

Hiroki jogged around the car and jumped in the driver's side and the car rumbled to life. The lights flashed to life, causing the digi-destined and their digimon to wince and close their eyes. The car engine revved and the lights faded as the vehicle turned around. The wheels screeched slightly as the car jumped to a start.

"You made a very hard choice…" Kisho whispered as he and the other digi-destined turned to look at Taku. The pale child looked down and brought his hand up, the recall device in his palm. Kisho swept his hand through his short brown hair, making a soft rustling sound as he did so, "I don't know if I could make that kind of choice…"

"I know, but, this is more important…" Taku replied as he lifted his other hand and extended a finger.

"Wait, what do we do, I mean will the recall device pick us all up…or what?" Haru looked at the other children.

"How about we all hold hands?" asked Ren. She put her hands on her hips as she saw the questioning look of the boys. "What it works in the movies…"

"It couldn't hurt," mumbled the boys as they shuffled their feet and looked down.

She reached out and clasped Taku's hand. Ren winced slightly as her fingers curled around the sticky, crimson hand of the Child of Darkness, but she didn't protest or whine. Jiro took Taku's other hand, gently wrapping his fingers around both Taku's hand and the recall device. Jiro then lifted his small hand and held one of Paildramon's claws. Paildramon grasped Grademon's hand, as the golden armored swordsman walked into the ring. Haru grasped the long fingered hand of Grademon and then reached out to dig his fingers into the crimson fur of DORUgremon as the large, western-style dragon moseyed into the circle. Kisho grasped DORUgremon on the other side, gently taking a tuft of black fur that made up one of the dragon's tiger stripes. Kisho's free hand reached out and grasped the leathery, black hand of Cyberdramon, whose free hand wrapped carefully around Ren's dainty hand. The ring completed, Taku rolled his thumb forward and pressed the red button on the black, cube that was the recall device.

888

The frigid night wind cut through his tattered gowns freezing his, thin, spindly limbs. His chest throbbed in pain, forcing a clawed hand to press against the burnt, leather armor. His golden eyes were looking weakly ahead, the shadows caste by the surrounding canyon rocks swarmed up around him. He was Matadormon.

The crimson pants he wore were now nothing but burnt and torn scraps of silk blowing in the frigid desert wind. Cracks crisscrossed the green, fleshy armor that, now, haphazardly covered his chest and upper torso. His long, claws gently traced the large holes punctured in the armor. He could still feel the power surging through his body screaming through his nervous system struggling to free itself.

He walked on, in utter silence, only the soft whisper of the canyon breeze his company. The stars twinkled innocently down on him as the fading crescent of the moon rose above the crest of the eastern canyon wall. A sharp howl cut through the air; Matadormon stopped. It soon was followed by other howls, deep, mournful howls, of wolves, of Sangloupmon; not the yapping, yipping, half barking howls of the coyote-like Fangmon. His glowing eyes narrowed as rocks shifted above his head.

"Do they not recognize me, their master?" growled Matadormon under his breath in wheezing hisses.

"It's not a matter of whether they recognize you personally…" chimed a smooth, half mocking voice. It was deep and authoritative but still had the subtle lilt of charm and sophistication that Matadormon recognized immediately. A pair of blue eyes blazed in one of the canyon shadows, slightly above head height, and obviously on a ridge. The eyes closed slowly yet meaningfully and then opened again, with more icy intensity than they had had when they first appeared, "it's a matter of whether they recognize you as their master…"

"You know who I am!" growled Matadormon loudly, "I am the master, ruler of this world, the supreme power; the pinnacle of strength in this region!"

"Oh how the mighty have fallen…" chuckled the voice quietly as the pair of eyes closed. A few seconds they appeared again on the opposite side of the canyon, "Forced to come crawling home, clothes in rags, beaten by a handful of mere children and their halfwit digital groupies…what a pathetic sight you are…Matadormon…"

"I see…" Matadormon hissed under his breath as he looked into the pair of icy pools glowing in the shadows. "You finally have decided to take it? You, a beast that only a short time ago was begging and kneeling and pleading for me not to harm you for your failures…do you really think you can replace me?"

"I already have," replied the voice with an icy edge of aggravation. "It's a surprise what nearly eight years can do to social structure of an area…"

"Eight years? But I've only been away a couple of days…" hissed Matadormon in confusion.

"Are you really that disoriented? They must have really beaten you down," the voice chuckled quietly as the eyes faded back into the shadows. "These eight years I have been training, taking power where I could get it, defeating powerful digimon, destroying them in order to attain their data…and I have come, finally, to you, to attain the data of my sensei, the one who taught me, my idol. I have come to take your data, Matadormon. I will achieve my goal…the only question is whether you'll come quietly or…if I'll have to humiliate you."

"You haven't the power, Kyuubimon," Matadormon growled as he let the darkness overwhelm him. "If you challenge me; all you'll do is sign your own death certificate…"

"Such confidence…" whispered the voice. The voice bounced off the stony walls of the canyon and melded with the babbling of the river that cut down the middle of the canyon's valley, and twisted through the branches of the dry, leafless trees. "I do wonder where you find it…"

Matadormon took a defensive stance, lifting his long, clawed hands; his eyes darted back and forth. He knew his strength was nearly drained. Even after the days of resting, he couldn't seem to regain his previous power and the soft sound of Arkadimon's mind breathing next to his had gone silent. He could sense the wafting aura of the fox's energy lurking just out of reach, circling him like a shark circles a leaking lifeboat of a lion circles a sickly wildebeest. Suddenly the ghostly sense disappeared completely. Matadormon stiffened, his claws jerked slightly as the muscles in his fingers tensed, preparing an attack.

It did come, but not as Matadormon had expected. Nine, large, Sangloupmon leapt out of the shadows. Their black fur 'shooshed' through the air as their claws sliced hungrily forward. Matadormon sliced up and around cutting through warm fur and hard bone. The wolves exploded into nine poofs of black data, which trailed to the edge of the river, where the moonlight fell on a silver furred, nine-tailed fox. The data particles swirled around the fox as it opened its mouth absorbing the wolves' energy. A pair of piercing blue eyes eyed Matadormon.

"Coward," hissed Matadormon quietly as he glared at the fox.

"I learned that from you," chuckled the fox as it took a step forward; bluish flames crackling around the fox's feet. "Always send the peons in first, never attack directly, instead delegate, until you have to take a hand in the matter yourself. That way, no one can rise against you legitimately…and you come off looking like the good guy."

"You want me, Kyuubimon; then come for me," Matadormon wheezed. The digimon lifted his claws to his chest.

"As you wish, master," The fox leapt forward and spun, head over tail as blue flames rolled around the somersaulting fox. "Dragon Wheel!"

A large, blue dragon apparition rose out of the spinning flames and swirled toward Matadormon. The canyon lit up in propane-blue light. Matadormon crashed to one, bony, exposed knee. Black dust dropped from his body like soot off of a chimney sweep. The data rushed toward the fox who eagerly accepted it.

"I won't…fall to you…" Matadormon hissed as his standing leg shakily pushed his weight off his knee, bringing the vampire to his feet, although wobbly, once more. "You are nothing but a curtailer…a lamprey…a remora…never destined to be at the top of the food chain, but always forced to feed off the scraps of those who are!"

"Fool, you know not what your addled mouth says," snorted the fox as he splayed his nine, fluffy, silver tails. Their white tips blazed as smiling fireballs crackled at the tails' ends. "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The flames charged forward twittering as they took the shape of blue, fire bats. The flames crashed into Matadormon knocking the wearied digimon back, catching his remaining robes on fire. Matadormon growled quietly as his silken sleeves charred and burned. The fox was standing in front of him, a self-confident grin on its face. Matadormon could feel the flames burning against his flesh, but he no longer cared. His claws swept up and he charged forward, his feet digging into the soft canyon soil. He swung down, the moonlight sliding across his elegant metal claws. There was no satisfying 'splurting' noise or spray of crimson blood. His body felt unbalanced and he continued to stagger forward without the expected counterbalance to offset his forward inertia.

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

Twitters echoed in Matadormon's ears as bursts of burning pain ran up and down his back and across his shoulders. This time his hands crashed into the sandy soil and both knees dropped down sinking into the sand under his weight. He felt his body weaken slightly.

"I will not be struck down in this fashion…" hissed Matadormon loudly as he turned his head and looked sharply back at his attacker. The fox was standing in the moonlight, his silver fur glistening with a bluish pallor.

"Don't waste your energy trying to get up, it is obvious that I am superior to you," chuckled the fox as his tails splayed again. The flames poofed into existence. Matadormon groaned as the flames smashed into his back again. His time his arms bowed under the strain and his face struck the sand.

"I won't die lying in the dirt…" whispered Matadormon angrily as he struggled to push his own, minimal, weight up.

"If I were you, I'd be proud," the fox's voice chuckled.

The voice pulsed in Matadormon's ears haughtily mocking him. Matadormon could sense a change in Kyuubimon's aura. His neck muscles strained and slowly, and jerkily, turned Matadormon's head back to see his once protégé.

"Why should I be…proud," Matadormon half spat, half wheezed as he struggled to his hands and knees.

A black cloud hung around the silver fox. Suddenly the entire fox was enveloped and the cloud of black fog rose vertically, forming a bipedal humanoid. A long, black cape was tightly held around the new figure's shoulders. A pair of cold, blue eyes glared out from behind a crimson, bat-wing mask. Neatly braided, golden hair fell down, over a hugely exaggerated collar that rose up and revealed the crimson inner fabric of the figure's cloak.

A pair of glistening, sharp fangs pressed against upturned, crimson lips. "It is not everyday a master gets to see his student surpass him…"

Matadormon growled as he futilely strained to rise to his knees. The former fox was hanging over him. His cloaked shadow was a cloud of inevitable doom. His senses clouded with frantic survival fury. His weakened muscles shook, and that's when he felt it. A simple breath, a whisper, the familiar background noise of Arkadimon's mind was rasping quietly in the back of Matadormon's mind. Suddenly he felt a rush of power, but unlike the power that had come to repel him away from Paildramon's harmonious circuit; this power was rebuilding his strength. Pitch darkness pumped through his body. He could feel it coursing through his.

He could feel his body changing, growing, strengthening; it was becoming even more powerful. His vision swept downward. The petty, vampire was staggering back holding up one arm, hanging his black cloak on it to shield its face. His body was still stiff and his responses were slower, but he could feel the numbness and dullness of his senses fading. A rolling chuckle rumbled up his new body as he watched the paltry betrayer retreating in fear from his visage.

888

The lights faded, reds, blues and yellows glistened in the backwash of the recall beam. Tiny wings flapped in Taku's ears. The boy looked over his shoulder and a saw his partner reverted to his Rookie form. The blue furred, bowling ball bat hovered in the air with surprise, as he inspected his body.

"Oi, I de-digivolved!" grouched the bat as he glided over and rested on Taku's black hair. "What's up with that?"

"You're not the only one, that reverted," the plain, confident voice of Renamon replied.

Taku looked up and saw the fox standing between Ren and Kisho. Ren reached up and grasped Renamon's lavender gloved paw. The fox's fluffy tail swooshed quietly behind her lithe body. Renamon's cone-shaped head tilted and looked down at Ren with soft robin's egg blue eyes. The fox's small ears perked and a small smile crossed Kisho looked down at his own partner. The glossy, purple-furred fox-dragon digimon, DORUmon, looked up at partner his white tipped snout slightly opened, revealing several small pointed teeth, as the edges of his mouth curled into a smile. The digimon's golden eyes glistened in the light of the landing pad they were standing on. Kisho's tan hand dropped down and rubbed DORUmon's forehead gently stroking an upside down red triangle on the dragon's forehead.

"Oh, jeesh, what's it like?" The child-like voice of Guilmon piped up like an innocent flute. "To DNA digivolve?"

"Gah what a dumb question," snorted DemiDevimon as he stuck his nose in the air.

The children all looked at the red dragon. The webbed, red ear-wings on Guilmon's head flattened and his golden eyes glanced at the ground. His clawed feet shuffled. His clawed hands lifted and rubbed a black symbol on his white scaled chest, it looked like the biohazard warning labels that one would find in a hospital. Guilmon crinkled his snout, where another black symbol depicting one triangle stabbing through another, reflected triangle.

"It is not a dumb question!" retorted the red dragon, his tail swishing quietly.

"I don't know, it's kind of…different, it's not like there's two minds in one body, it's like;" replied Agumon. The little, leathery, yellow skinned tyrannosaur scratched his flat head. His snout twisted slightly as his lips pursed and then his emerald eyes widened, "It's kind of like when you put strawberry syrup in milk to make strawberry milk, the syrup and milk are separate ingredients but when they mix they become a single, yummy good thing."

"Oh, gah," grumbled DemiDevimon as he ruffled his tattered, blue wings in aggravation. "Whydya get so mushy about it…?"

"Guys, we have more important things to worry about," Kisho said as he looked around.

They were standing between the Order's inner and outer fortress walls, standing on a large red X circle. White lights were flickering around them. The high inner walls of fortress were immediately adjacent to their position, the soft granite walls rising stoically to the sky.

"Yeah, shouldn't Gennai or someone be here, waiting for us?" Haru asked as he rubbed his nose. His fingers slid over three small freckles on the bridge of his nose. His blue eyes swept around the area, noting the tiny places where small plants had found a niche in the concrete and granite.

"Yeah, where are they?" growled Ren as she put her hands on her jeans' hips.

"There, someone is there," Jiro piped up hopping and pointing, down the small corridor between walls of granite.

The figure was dressed in long, cream robes, a brown ridged hood covering its face. The moonlight seemed to make the robes glow with a silvery aura. The figure was about six or seven feet tall and walked slowly forward, making little noise as it stepped on the brick pathway. Its hands entwined with each other with the wide, hanging sleeves covering sliding over the wrists.

"I apologize for my tardiness," said the voice quietly as the figure lifted its hand up and drew the hood back. Spiked brown hair was exposed. Gentle eyes looked down at the children sadly. It was Gennai, save he lacked any of aloof confidence of the children's last encounter with the digital human. "Come, we must fill you in on the passage of the past few days…" The children nodded and followed the solemn figure as he turned. His robes gently scraped on the ground, Gennai turned his head; his blue eyes were faded to a soft gray. "You must see what you're up against…"

The children and their partners stopped and looked at each other with a worried glance. Gennai continued forward leaving them to wonder about their fate. The children shook their heads and jogged after the man as he turned a corner passing through a heavy, circular door made of a dark grained wood.

888

"I don't understand," Haru whispered as he looked at the glowing screen.

A huge beast was rampaging through an open waste land. It was a demonic centaur. Its large sinewy, brick red lower body had a horse like tail sweeping behind its huge bulk. A pair of huge, black, webbed wings was flailing angrily. The front legs' hips pointed forward with the pointed gray shark snouts complete with multiple rows of gnashing teeth and lolling, serpentine tongues. The thick legs of the beast bent backwards at the knees and ended in thick, clawed toes. The back of the legs had metallic barbs jutting.

The beast's torso was humanoid and was covered in mostly red, fleshy armor. A blue pair of bat-like wings seemed to arise out of the beast's sternum and was to be some kind of chest armor. A single stretch of gray flesh was exposed between the bat-winged chest armor. Its head was covered by fleshy blue ridges that formed a cartilaginous helmet that enwrapped the beast's head, long tangled golden hair dropped from under the helmet below the shoulders. Long, threaded muscled arms extended from the beast's shoulders. The arms ended in long fingered hands, the back of the hands having cheese grater-like barbs.

"Is that thing…," Kisho whispered as he looked at the beast, his arms shaking slightly. A chill tingled up his arms and the back of his neck, "…Matadormon?"

"Can't be, we left Matadormon half dead…" growled DemiDevimon as the winged ball leaned forward on Taku's black hair. The bat's wings were folded tightly against his body and his golden eyes glared angrily at the screen, tiny fangs pressed against the bat's lips.

"Matadormon digivolved…" Gennai replied, as he walked forward, "…to GranDracmon…"

His beige robes swept behind him. He looked at the other children, who were standing in the darkened command room. The only illumination was from the various monitors and lighted buttons. There was a soft clicking from other Order members working away at their consuls. Their voices whispered reports, commands and general chitchat.

"How can that be? I mean…wasn't he fully evolved?" Ren asked as she blankly looked at the screen, watching the bestial monster smash through a rickety looking, desert town.

"I thought Matadormon was at the top, one the most powerful things out there…" Taku growled as he looked at Gennai. The robed man sighed quietly and held his hands behind his back.

"No, the Ultimate level isn't the end of the line," Gennai replied as he looked at the children. "There is a Mega level as well, a level that creates beings of immense power. Mega digimon are rare…in the entire population of the Digital World only a few percent of the digimon are of that incredible level…"

"Then get them to help, damn it," Taku growled under his breath. "Why did you call us, when you could've called upon some of these mythically powerful creatures…?"

Gennai lifted his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing quietly to himself. Gennai looked at the children. "Because a majority of the digimon that reach that level are either power hungry or so aloof they wouldn't help if we asked…the minority that would be willing to assist are already on assignments in other parts of the Digital World…"

"So we're the only ones available…" Jiro said as he watched the screen, "but…there is no way we could stop him, he's too powerful…"

"Yeah, unless we can meet his strength, we're going to get pasted across the desert," Taku growled, watching as a water tower collapsed under GranDracmon's foot. Water splashed under the Mega digimon's foot. The huge beast ignored it and continued on its rampage.

"The only thing I can say is that you have all the tools you need to beat him," Gennai replied slipping his hands into the pockets of his robes. "You have no idea of the powers the miracle giving articles you have on your person. You just have to believe in yourself."

"So…I guess the only question is; are we going to do it?" Haru asked as he looked at the others and then down at Guilmon. The dragon winced repeatedly as he watched GranDracmon smash down upon the desert town's buildings. Tiny specks were retreating from the monstrous beast.

"Digimon…innocent digimon…" growled Guilmon's child-like voice.

"They've lost their homes and businesses…" Renamon growled in her even, stoic tone. Her tail was held tautly, and her clawed hands clenched into fists, the knuckles crackling as she did so.

"They're friends and families are being scattered…" DORUmon snarled as the triangle on his head started to glow a soft crimson. His fluffy tail swooshed back and forth sharply. The tiny vestigial wings on his back were flat against his spine.

"All those lives ruined…" Agumon whispered as his large eyes started to water. His long clawed hands clenched. "All that damage…"

"I'm sick of looking at his ugly face," growled DemiDevimon as he spread his wings and lifted off of Taku's head. He curled his red clawed toes, a growl rumbling from his body. An angry sneer crossed his face and he turned to Taku.

The black haired boy's pale face seemed to glow with the light of the screen. His dark eyes narrowed. His hands clenched into fists.

"Kisho, I vote we cream this bastard…" Taku growled in a slow, vibrating tone.

"I'm with Taku, this has to stop," Jiro said as he glared at the screen with his hardened brown eyes.

"I vote we take him down," Ren said as she watched GranDracmon's foot squash what looked like a school. Ren bit her lip, chewing it slightly as her eyes narrowed.

"We were chosen to be the Digi-destined…" Haru whispered quietly. "We were given certain responsibilities and when we accept them we made several promises, and we have to see those through…no matter the cost…I vote we fight."

Kisho slipped the pair of green-banded goggles down over his eyes, "Then it's unanimous, we're going to fight! We're not going to back down…."

Gennai looked down at the children. He admired them; they were going out there to fight the beast. They were going to fight, something his people had never done. They had never gone on the offensive, but rather had others fight for them. Gennai took a deep breath, sucking in air through his nose, his chest rising.

"Then, we must give you the coordinates…" Gennai said simply and concisely, walked past the children as they continued to watch GranDracmon smashing his way across the desert landscape. Gennai looked back as he walked toward the map. "I hope that the powers you have in your tags and crests will be enough…"

**888**

**AN: I used Paildramon, but I modified him, for my purposes. I even upped his attacks…especially Sting Strike…I know some voiced that it would be weird for Paildramon to be the DNA digivolve, actually everyone…but I've got the advantage of seeing the long term effects of it in the plot…so don't crucify me please, not that it would matter to me anyways since it's _my_ story…though I do take suggestions at times…but that's my decision to make. I'm sorry if I came off overly defensive, it's been a bad week or so. **

**The next chapter may take a while to write, I will be trying out some new techniques which will cause me to slow down my output, whilst, at least this is the plan, lengthen the chapters and flush out some things better. I started tentatively with this plan this chapter but when I decided to implement this plan, I had already written over half of the chapter and I was rather Belphemon-esque in my want to go back…but I did go back and touch some areas, just not as well as I had…in other places. I will be attempting to do this, which means I'm experimenting with it, so if it doesn't come out as good in some places, chalk it up to experimentation…and I will probably get lazy if I'm not prodded on. **

**Oh, and another thing that my slow my output for this story is that I'm starting something new, pretty soon. I finally broke down and have started writing another digimon fic. I'm writing the first chapter as we speak, and it is also trying to implement a new…style, and is truly more in the new style sort of, I can still see my stubborn old habits in it though, but at a far lesser degree. So look for the new fic's first chapter in anytime between a couple of days-a week. Long AN, I know, but I just wanted to clarify things. **


	37. The Terror

**I don't own digimon, otherwise I'd be busy writing for the new season, and no one wants that….**

**The Terror**

**888**

Dark storm clouds rumbled in the distance. Four digimon were flying in the morbidly serene air, three Ultimate digimon and a Champion gliding side by side. The furthest right was a black and white armored dragon. Black and white wings extended from its back. Its murky golden flesh was exposed on its arms and legs. Two children, a small blonde child, sitting on the right side of the dragon adjacent to the white wings, and an older child with black hair and dark clothing sitting on the dragon's left side, were riding the beast as it flew. The next digimon was a black dragon, with a tone, firm back. Muscular, spiked arms were pressed tightly against its lithe body. Crimson wings flapped with a leathery whapping noise as cold air swept over the tensing black muscles of the dragon. A girl was sitting on the dragon's back gripping a pair of metallic ear prongs that arose from a metallic mask that covered the dragon's face. The middlemost left digimon was another dragon, though it was much more bestial with four legs and blood red fur. Black striping streaked up along its legs, neck, tail and back. Silver chromed wings whistled as wind pushed through tiny, golden ringlets on the wings. A brown haired boy that looked about eleven years old was gripping the long, crane-like neck of the dragon. A pair of goggles was set on his head. The boy's blue shirt flapped in the wind as the dragon pushed forward. The last creature was the Champion digimon, a yellow-fleshed velociraptor augmented with metallic attachments. Jets rumbled from under a pair of chrome wings that articulated with a blue chassis. Thin, cybernetic arms were folded against the creature's chassis torso. A blonde child was gripping onto the leading edges of the wings. His blue eyes looked ahead and he furrowed his brow.

"DO WE HAVE A PLAN, KISHO?" shouted the blonde haired, blue eyed boy, screaming over the wind that swept past.

"PLAN?" The goggle wearing brunette shouted back. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HARU?"

"YOU KNOW, THE THINGS WE MAKE BEFORE BLINDLY RUNNING INTO A FIGHT WE ARE OUTMATCHED FOR!" Haru shouted back, his voice squeaking as it tried to strain over the sound of rockets and wind.

"WELL…" Kisho's wind burned face glowed redder. The brunette squinted his brown eyes to keep the wind out of them, "NOT REALLY…"

"WE'RE GOING TO GET CREAMED!" Haru shouted loudly.

"IF WE THINK THAT WE ARE, WE WILL!" Kisho retorted in a screechy, squelchy yelp.

"Guys!" the red dragon between Kisho's legs slowed down. "There he is…"

The other digimon glided to a stop and hovered in the air. A few kilometers ahead of them, a beast was rampaging. It was crashing through a canyon pass, and its head nearly came to the top of the canyon walls. The fissure in the ground was easily a several hundred feet deep. The beast was snarling and growling. Its blue horse/wolf/beast four legged lower body was smashing its clawed feet on the hard, gray, desert sand. Puffs of dust flew up as the stomps thundered in the frigid, stale air. The beast's humanoid torso was laughing; the crimson, flesh-like armor on its stomach shaking. The blue, wing-shaped chest armor expanded with each breath. The huge gray wings expanded and flapped angrily; the air hissed as the wings swept forward.

The group of the children bearing digimon hovered in the air. Now that the digimon were stopped the wind from before was gone. Even the air had a distinct sensation of terror in it. The children looked at each and then up at the beast in front of him.

"He's huge…" whispered the girl quietly as she watched the beast.

"At least the size of a small mountain…" whispered the black haired boy riding the black and white armored dragon.

"I had a hope that his size was just being overdone on the monitor screen," the goggle wearing brunette whispered, as he looked over at Haru. The blonde shook his head. Kisho turned his head and looked at the children on his right. The girl looked up at the beast ahead of them, "Ren…" Kisho tilted his head and looked at the black haired boy on the other side of the girl, "Taku…?" His eyes finally fell on the little boy sitting next to Taku, "Jiro…?"

"I don't know about you, Kisho, but I'm pretty sure I can take him," growled the dragon between the brunette's legs. "Well, maybe…possibly…" The dragon continued to mumble quietly.

"I'm glad you have some confidence, DORUgremon," Kisho growled as he stroked the dragon's furry neck. "What happened to the fighting spirit we had at the fortress?"

"That was a hundred kilometers ago, when we had only seen this beast on a television screen!" shouted Haru loudly.

"Oh, so we're giving up now?" Taku shouted in return. "Well, let me just go back to File Island and tell the digimon there not to bother rebuilding, because we're going home because we're chickening out!"

"DAMN IT, KISHO!" Haru's voice rasped from hoarseness. His blue eyes narrowed sharply. "The thing is a mountain of evil! We'll get ourselves killed; we need to think this through!"

Kisho jerked his head back to the other children, "Do you guys feel the same?"

"Haru has a point…" the brown haired girl said as he looked at Kisho, "I think we should fight, but it would be stupid to go in wildly…"

"We don't have much time to think," Jiro said as she pointed forward. The beast was slowing its flailing. "I think he's done here…"

"What kind of strengths do we have against him?" Haru asked loudly to himself.

"Well, he's got most of them tied up; he's huge, strong..." Kisho ticked off on his fingers, "He's smart…and it doesn't matter that we can fly because of his height."

"We're small though, that'll make us hard to hit," Ren said as she looked up at the massive beast.

"Not only that, but we'd have maneuverability," Haru said as the blonde looked up at the beast rampaging only a couple of kilometers away. "And I doubt he's fast, I can't imagine a behemoth like him moving with lightning speed…"

"Maybe we can wear him down," Jiro whispered as the small, blonde boy looked up. The other children turned their heads and looked at the little boy.

"He may have a point," Taku said as the black haired boy looked at the others, "Maybe we can get him to waste all his energy trying to attack us, and then when he gets tired we could finish the job…"

"I don't see him getting tired anytime soon," Cyberdramon growled as the dragon watched GranDracmon drive a nimble fist through the rock face.

The canyon was wide enough to allow the beast to turn relatively easily. GranDracmon reared up on its hind legs and smashed its huge, clawed front feet through the rock of the canyon. The beast howled loudly and then flapped its gray wings. The creature then reached up and grabbed the edge of the canyon and dragged itself up, heaving itself onto the rocky surface. Even at the distance the digi-destined were at, GranDracmon towered in the sky, dwarfing the digi-destined's digimon as if they were just insects. Just one shark like heads on the shoulders of the beast's front legs seemed capable of closing around all the destined digimon quite easily in one gulp.

"You better stay here, Jiro," Magnamon's deep voice rumbled out of Paildramon's mouth.

"Taku, you, too," ExVeemon's voice growled.

"Paildramon has the right idea," DORUgremon growled as he curled around and glided toward the ground, "This is far too dangerous for you to be involved with…and if we lose you, all hope is lost."

"But I want to help," Kisho grumbled as he watched Raptordramon and Cyberdramon following Paildramon and DORUgremon.

"You'll help most by not being a target," DORUgremon replied as his white feet silently touched the ground. Kisho slid off his shoes scraping the ground and the rocks crackling slightly as they shifted under his weight. The boy pouted his face and glared up at DORUgremon. The dragon lifted its head, the long, jaggedly curved horn spearing into the air, "If GranDracmon happens to delete us, there is a good chance we'd be reborn, but if he were to kill you," The dragon's golden eyes glided down and set on Kisho, "then it would be over. For good…"

"But…I want to help you!" Kisho returned sternly.

"NO!" The dragon's voice rumbled up from its wide rib cage. "I will not allow it."

The boy blinked and took a step backward. "How can you say that?"

"Kisho, he's just…" Haru whispered as he slid off the smooth metallic surface of Raptordramon.

"Shut up!" Kisho grunted as he looked up at DORUgremon, "I'm not going to sit here and hide, like some sort of coward!"

DORUgremon snorted loudly and spread his silvery wings. "I know you think I am being cruel, but you must understand that I am just doing this for your own protection. I don't want to lose you, Kisho."

Kisho clenched his fists and glared at the ground, "Go, if you're going to go…"

"Kisho…" Ren whispered as Cyberdramon lowered the brown haired girl to the ground. "You don't really…mean that do you?"

"I know he's trying to protect me," Kisho said to the ground, his voice half choked up, "but I'm not a baby…I don't want to be some useless battery for him…"

"You know you're not just a battery to him," Taku said as the dark haired boy turned and reached up, catching Jiro in his arms as the younger blonde jumped down from their digimon, Paildramon's, spiked shoulders. Paildramon returned to the air and followed the other digimon, who were already at a considerable lead. "Even I know better than…"

"Damn it I'm not in the mood to hear about what you know, and what you don't know," Kisho said loudly. The others only looked at him in shock. The brunette was being so hostile.

The black haired boy clenched his fists; his eyes glanced down at the ground. "You keep on like that, and your crest is going to quit working…or worse."

Kisho blinked and turned his head to the black haired boy. Kisho's cheeks tightened and his lips thinned. His voice came out in severe, cold tone in measured, bolts of thought. "You…how could you even…think that I am half as off track as…?"

"Kisho, be quiet, before you say something you regret," Haru said in a warning tone. The blue eyed boy looked up and watched as Raptordramon dove low. The boy clenched his digivice and closed his eyes, "Now stop this bickering, we have more important things to deal with, and too many digimon and people are depending on us to do this."

Raptordramon glowed, as a lavender bolt flew from one of the two crests hanging around Haru's neck. It was the crest with the cross engraved on it, the Crest of Reliability. The cyborg dinosaur shimmered with the light as it morphed and changed. It took a much more human shape. Its yellow flesh was now bronzed armor on a thin, muscular frame. A dark blue cape waved in the wind as the knightly digimon bond across the ground, the digimon's long toed feet pressing off the ground as he sprinted across the tan, clay soil. Two swords flashed in and crossed and then swept to the sides of the digimon's body.

Kisho narrowed his eyes as he watched the destined digimon sweep toward the leviathan ahead of them. The roaring behemoth turned its head. The monstrous demon's eyes glowing with crimson hatred.

"You have come!" Called out the beast, its voice booming like a volcano preparing to explode, "Hopefully to lay forfeit to your lives at my feet! If you do not resist, I may consider consuming you all at once!"

Kisho's fingers curled around his digivice. His heart was exploding in his ears. His nose flared as the cold air of the desert chilled the insides of his nostrils. His brown eyes were now harder than frozen earth.

"No…you're the one that's going to forfeit your life, you monster…" growled Kisho. His voice was harsh. "You're going to die…"

The other children looked at Kisho. Their arms reached up and hugged themselves as the air around them seemed to drop a few more degrees. It was like Kisho's voice was pulling the heat straight out of the air. Taku's eyes fell down and looked at the crest around his neck, the pendant with the occulted star on its face was releasing dark energy, but Taku thought he could feel a second pulse emanating from the crest. The black irises of the boy's eyes shrunk slightly as a cold chill ran up his back. He knew that pulse. He'd used it and part of the black haired boy shuddered to think of what would happen if what he felt was real. Taku was yanked from his thoughts as a loud, crackling explosion filled the air.

The fight had begun. A puff of dust was rising off of GranDracmon. The battle had started. Cyberdramon's Desolation Claw had crashed into the large, centaur beast. The behemoth didn't even register the strike. Bolts of light and darkness fired from the small pinprick that was Paildramon. GranDracmon snorted in half annoyance, half bemusement, as the bolts barely scuffed the huge beast's armor. A twisting burst of wind and energy swirled horizontally across the earth crashing into one of the claws on the beast's foot. A bronze glint could be seen rocketing upward and then like a flea or leafhopper leap from sinew to sinew of the flesh compromising the beast's corded, red legs. The glint reached the right leg's shoulder, where the lolling, forked tongue of the Hindenburg-sized shark head that composed the shoulder joint slapped the glint like a dog tail smacking a gnat. A speeding red dot swept underneath the twisting glittering speck of bronze and then, after catching the glint retreated as a long, thin arm swung past.

Tiny sparks of green popped across GranDracmon's chest. The blue, wing-shaped chest armor was unaffected by the assault as it continued across the plating. Black and white streams of energy needled the beast's arms, but an irritated swipe of one of GranDracmon's red arms sent the attacker twisting and spiraling out of the way of the huge turbulence.

"They aren't even scratching the armor…" whispered Ren quietly as the brown haired girl watched the fight. Her blood was running cold and her body felt numb.

"They just can't inflict enough damage even to bait him…" Haru whispered as he watched a bronze glitter attempt the scale the beast's lower torso again.

This time the glitter speck passed the lashing tongue of the shark head that was at the behemoth's lower shoulder. It skipped and bounded up the beast's abdominal muscles and then scurried up the massive chest armor. It made a leap to the shoulder of the beast and then the glitter speck glided in front of the beast's face. A puff of fire exploded into the leviathan's face. A loud snort echoed through the air. The bronze speckle was flung backward by the spontaneous exhale. A red dot then dove in tiny, silver bits of dust seemed to fly into GranDracmon's face. The huge monster shook its head and the beast's long, yellow hair slapped the dot, sending it toppling backward.

"It's like pitting five, tiny, stingless ants against a German Shephard…" Taku whispered as he watched black and white lances of energy blink like off the beast's armor like some elaborate light show.

"I have a really icky feeling…building up in my stomach…" Jiro said quietly as his brown eyes winced, watching GranDracmon puff up his cheeks and blow away the speck producing the black and white energy bursts.

Kisho said nothing, at least nothing out loud. His eyes were hard. His face was sharpened, no longer having the plush, innocent qualities to it. His hands gripped around his digivice and the material of the device squeaked slightly under the pressure and the friction of the boy's sweating hands rubbing harshly against the smooth, white plastic.

"_We're not running away, we're going to keep fighting…I refuse to let GranDracmon chase us away…we're going to win, we're going to win, no matter what, we're going to win…" _The words pulsed in his head like the blood the pounded in his ears, almost at the same pace. _"I'm not going to allow defeat; I'm not going to run away, we're fighting until the end…" _

"Insects!" growled GranDracmon as he swung both of his arms around in a figure eight pattern. The flying specks were sent twirling as they got caught up in the new wind rip currents that were formed by the demon appendages. The bronze speckle somehow had gotten onto one of the arms and was holding on for dear life. "I grow weary of these pointless attempts! As I had thought, you're all impotent…so now, you shall meet the strength of a truly powerful digimon!"

GranDracmon's arms stopped moving and the flying digimon haphazardly regained control of their flight as they twisted and curled within the diminishing wind shear. Ren, Taku, Jiro and Haru looked at each other, not entirely sure what to expect from the massive beast. Kisho only looked forward; his face and expression unfazed by GranDracmon's proclamation.

"Kisho, maybe we should…" Ren whispered as she looked at the boy. A cold sneer curled up from the boy's lip and his eyes stabbed over at her, like two daggers cutting her straight through to her soul. "…or not…"

The cold air curled around them as the wind turned. The air was like a scared rabbit and it sprinted across the ground whistling into whatever crevice it could find. The children's breaths swept in and out; sometimes if they had taken an overly long breath, small portions of steam would escape their lips as their hot breath touched the cold air of the desert night. The steam would instantly disappear, as if it was itself terrified of what may be coming and would rather not exist than behold whatever it was that was coming.

"Watch…as I finish this game," GranDracmon's eyes glowed and the specks hovering around his body retreated back as the demon's eyes burned with a limestone white light. "I know I shall be watching you as you contort into your final forms twisted in terror as I get you out of my way!"

Suddenly, streaks of green flashed upwards striking around GranDracmon's eyes. The demon laughed loudly as the energy bursts puffed into nothingness as they struck the blue mask that covered its cranium and cheekbones. The black speck continued forward pressing the attack.

"Cyberdramon…what are you doing?" Ren whimpered as she watched the speck continue forward.

"Fear…consumed by fear," Haru whispered quietly. The blonde's blue eyes watching in morbid fascination, "She is giving it one, last hurrah; she knows it's pointless but she's going down fighting…"

"That idiot!" Ren cried as she reached forward. The girl screeched loudly, "Run away! Run away, Cyberdramon!"

"You'll be first, my little dragonet…" chuckled GranDracmon as his glowing, white eyes traced the black speck wheeling around for another strike. Green bursts flickered for a few seconds before GranDracmon let out a chuckled and the light of his eyes reached the brightest light so far, "EYE OF GORGON!"

Two beams of white light stabbed forward from the demon's eyes. The speck of black that had been attacking GranDracmon was engulfed in light. All the children closed their eyes, save for Kisho, who watched on unmoved and undisturbed. An agonized howl tore through the air and bounced back as an echo five then six times as it bounced back and forth. Haru, Taku and Jiro opened their eyes. Ren was on her knees her hands up to her mouth. No tears streaked down her cheek, no yelp escaped her lips, only a shaking silence. Wide eyes were frozen forward their brown irises locked. Her fingers gently twitched only a few millimeters from her parted lips. Her skin was pale, like someone had drawn all the blood from her body. The digivice she'd been holding onto was on the ground ahead of her. It was as silent as its owner.

"Ren…" Jiro whispered. "…Ren…"

"Something is coming…it…looks like Paildramon…he's carrying something…" Taku said quietly as he knelt down next to the girl. The boy's black irised eyes looked forward and his mouth slowly slid open. "Oh…god…"

Paildramon flew overhead. The load he was carrying was made of stone, white marble. Twisted, webbed wings, opened mouth, looking as if in half screech, thin, toned arms crossed in front of its white, chiseled body, the clawed hands covering a thin band of a sports brassiere, the muscular legs rising until the knees were nearly touching the defined stomach muscles, it was a statue of Cyberdramon in white marble, a statue of agony carved from white marble.

Ren didn't even watch as the statue was gently lowered to the ground. Paildramon turned and started back. Jiro protested but the dragon was already returning and didn't even seem to register the young blonde's pleas. Taku turned his head back to Ren. The girl only looked forward her face was frozen and her hands barely trembled it was like she was frozen right before a scream.

"We may be able to…" Taku started. His eyes lifted and he saw Haru slowly shake his head.

Taku looked down and gently put his hand on Ren's shoulder. The girl twisted her body and drove her head into Taku's chest. Taku didn't say anything as he felt a warm tears soak through his black shirt. Taku's hand shifted and the black haired boy gently hugged the girl as she cried silently against his chest. His eyes flicked back up to where GranDracmon was laughing like a schoolboy who'd just figured out how to torture ants with a magnifying glass. Taku's eye then dropped back down to where the brown haired girl quaking sobs tremored against his body. The girl's fingers curled into his shirt gently pinching his skin, but Taku said nothing, only slightly winced.

Jiro knelt down next to the black haired boy and lifted his hand. The child's small fingers reached forward and gently rubbed Ren's back as the girl's spine shuddered up and down as a new wave of shaking sobs quaked through her body.

"Grademon…don't be a hero…" Haru said in a prayer. "Get away. Think…don't be stupid…"

His blue eyes were looking forward. Taku looked up. A golden speckle was leaping around like a jumping bean across GranDracmon's body. Bursts of swirling energy smashed against the massive figure. GranDracmon laughed loudly and swung his right arm up and right, backhanding the speckle. The bronze spot twisted in the air. GranDracmon lifted his eyes and they turned from blood red to sterling white.

"EYE OF GORGON!"

Another blast of light illuminated the sky. A loud chuckle rumbled from GranDracmon. Haru's eyes watched as a second time Paildramon glided toward them, this time carrying a twisted form. Marble arms legs were flexed in all directions, Grademon's body frozen in mid-flail. The swordsman's two swords were barely held in the digimon's arms. Its cloak was fossilized. The cape was twisted and wrapped around the lithe form of the humanoid creature. Haru ran over to where Paildramon lowered Grademon's mineralized statue. Haru lifted his hand and touched the cold, white stone. Haru wrapped his arms around the form. His eyes glared back. Paildramon was gliding back.

"Paildramon! You are not so tough!" growled GranDracmon. The figure lowered its eyes as the black and gold armored, dragon digimon glided forward. "You're just as powerless as the others…and I shall finally be rid you as well! EYE OF GORGON!"

The white lights fired forward. Paildramon tilted its black and white wings and swept out of the beams' line. A red dot rose up behind GranDracmon's head. Spit fire silver filings flickered in the difference. GranDracmon ignored the attack and continued to follow Paildramon's flight.

"Don't do it, Paildramon…" Taku whispered as he tightened his arms around Ren, as much for his comfort for hers.

Paildramon's speck charged forward growing smaller as its profile challenged GranDracmon. A swift slapping motion elicited a soft chuckle from GranDracmon. The speck disappeared near the ground, its profile merging with the ground's. A speck rose from the earth, all the while a red dot zoomed in and out of the shadow of GranDracmon's lower torso. Crimson twisters slapped up against GranDracmon's legs, but the beast didn't notice the small tornadoes. Its eyes were on a darker speck flying up toward it.

"Paildramon…please…" Jiro whispered quietly as he watched GranDracmon's eyes change from red to white, "be careful…"

GranDracmon's eyes exploded with light. Taku grasped Jiro's back as the young blonde tried to leap up and run. Taku pulled Jiro close and tucked him under his other arm. The smaller boy struggled, reaching out, but finally relented as Taku tightened his grip.

"He won't want us to kill ourselves…" Taku hissed quietly in the blonde's ears. Taku took a deep breath. His dark eyes burned as tears tried to force themselves out. Taku's voice was soft, hardly audible, "twice…he's killed him twice…"

"Kisho, we have to get out of here, it's only a matter of minutes…" Haru started as he looked back at brunette. Kisho hadn't changed his position. He was still glaring forward. "Kisho…?"

"No…" Kisho's voice growled. The boy didn't turn to look back. His arm muscles tensed. "No retreat…no running away. Not now…not after what that monster did…to my friends…he hurt my friends…"

"Kisho, it's no…" Haru retorted but he was cut off as he Kisho took the first of several steps forward.

"If he hurts my friends…I'm going to make him hurt…" Kisho growled under his breath, "I'm not running away, I'm sick of running away…I'm sick of being scared..."

"Kisho, he'll just do to DORUgremon what he did to the others!" Haru shouted loudly in an exasperated voice.

"DORUGREMON!" Kisho's voice screamed out violently. "DORUGREMON! DON'T LET HIM WIN! I WANT TO SEE HIM DEAD AT YOUR FEET!" Kisho's voice pitched and yawed as it became hoarse against the cold air, "DORUGREMON I DEMAND YOU DIGIVOLVE AND KILL GRANDRACMON! KILL HIM! I WANT HIM DEAD!"

"No…" Taku whispered as he felt a cold feeling on his chest.

The black haired boy looked down. The black crest resting on his chest was pulsing, throbbing. Taku could feel it beating against his ribs. Taku looked up and saw it, the smoke rising off of Kisho's body, but it wasn't smoke it was darkness, hatred, wrath, greed. The second crest hung around Kisho's neck, the orange one engraved with the sun icon was pulsing with the same black aura. A muddy, sunset orange wave fired forward from Kisho's chest as the boy walked forward.

"Kill him…" Kisho growled hoarsely. He walked forward, "Kill him, and leave nothing left, make him hurt…make him beg for mercy….and then kill him….DORUgremon…kill him…"

Ren hiccupped slightly and for the first time since GranDracmon's first offensive did she truly look up. The sky turned from inky black to a sickening orange, almost as if some perverted form of the sunrise was happening in the south. Even GranDracmon stood still, almost in awe as the orange light filled the sky. There was an incredible howl that filled the air. It was a horrible shriek that shifted pitch up and down sounding akin to the shriek of a dying peacock. The sound cut the ears. Ren, Taku and Jiro huddled even closer together. Haru cowered behind Grademon's statue form. The shadows swept behind the children like long, black robes.

All the while Kisho walked forward chanting quietly to himself, whispering angrily to himself.

"Yes…that's it…digivolve and kill him…kill him…kill him…" whispered the brunette as he watched the sky churn.

888

"Gennai, we're getting some interesting signals," started Luminel quietly. She smiled, "I think we may have GranDracmon on the ropes…the signature looks like a crest activation…"

The young woman looked at the spiky brown haired man. The man intertwined his fingers and narrowed his eyes. The long beige sleeves of his robes hanging off his wrists.

"It's not right…" Gennai replied. The man's eyes closed. "The power is wrong…"

"What do you mean? According to the modulations, it would be enough to stop Gran…" Luminel replied as she looked at the man in astonishment.

"Stopping him is not enough…" Gennai said loudly as he opened his eyes and pointed upward. "Listen…"

"A storm?" Luminel said slightly closing her eyes as she attempted to strain her ears. It was a rumble, and a crackle but it was very faint, like a storm many miles away, save for one sharp squelching pitch, "no…it's too high pitch…what is that? A bum turbine?"

"The sound of a very big mistake erupting in the desert," Gennai said as he stood up from behind the desk. "Get a monitor online in the sector GranDracmon is in."

"But that could take a few minutes…not only that but there is some massive interference," Luminel said offhandedly, as she narrowed her eyes and shook her head trying to figure out what was going on.

"I SAID, 'DO IT'!" Gennai shouted loudly slamming a fist on the desk.

"Of course, Master Gennai!" The woman snapped to attention and turned around leaving Gennai alone in the large darkened conference room.

"At an Ultimate level, this sort of thing is relatively benign…manageable, even useful if handled right…" Gennai snarled quietly as he pressed both hands down on his desk, leaning forward, growling into the shadows of the darkened room. A single flame lamp, from behind him, half lit the shadows with a wimpy orange glow. "But at this level though…death, destruction…that's small potatoes if this doesn't get a cap put on it…"

The power was immense, even his dulled senses could feel the rage, and hatred just pushing through the palace walls around him. It was not Arkadimon's level of power, but it was enough. The door to the conference room swung open. Luminel was back. Gennai looked into the woman's hazel eyes.

"The monitor is online, Master Gennai, sir," reported the woman with a sharp, concise voice. Her hand was raised right underneath her red bangs in a salute.

"But?" Gennai growled under his breath. He knew the look she had in her eyes. The look where she tried her best not to make iris to iris eye contact while looking into his eyes.

"There is so much interference…" Replied the woman sharply, but her restraint was slipping a tiny bit of a whimper was echoed in her voice.

"Fix it," Gennai snorted as he sat back down.

"But, sir…" The woman's hand dropped from her forehead to her side in a limp manner, "we've never seen this…"

"Luminel, what did I say?" Gennai asked calmly as he sat back down.

"'Fix it', Master Gennai, sir…" Luminel replied scrambling back to attention.

"Can you guess what I want you to do?" Gennai asked sternly, his blue eyes cutting through the darkness like ice daggers.

"But…" Luminel started dropping out of attention again.

"Luminel, if the rest of that sentence isn't '…of course I do' I don't want to hear it," Gennai said clasping his hands once more.

"I just don't see…" Luminel started.

"That, I think, is the point, that's why you're going to fix it. Now…" Gennai said as he sighed. His blue eyes narrowed and his clasped hands separated and formed fists. The fists slammed down, propelling Gennai out of his chair and into a sitting position, "GO!"

The woman jumped back in surprise. Gennai new he was losing his temper, when he saw the fearful look in Luminel's eyes. He knew he very rarely lost his temper so aggressively at his underlings. He was a very lenient manager; in fact, he was more likely to cause mischief than most of the others under his control, but not now, he had no time for this annoying questioning. He knew that the anger was a mask; he could hear the thoughts bouncing around in his head, the worried, terrified thoughts.

"Of course, Master Gennai, sir," said the woman as she turned around curtly and walked out.

Gennai settled slowly back into his wooden chair and placed his hands on the rounded armrests. He hated shouting; he wasn't good at it. He was better at popping balloons behind Rathiel and startling the poor boy. Gennai slowly smirked, remembering the time he got Rathiel to leap three meters in the air after one really good prank. He took a deep breath and stood up again, unable to sit in his fidgety mood. His fingers wiggled and drummed against each other as he walked back and forth in the conference room. Finally he grunted and turned, walking out of the conference chamber into the command room.

The voices were bustling. Shouts rocketed back and forth. Klaxons blared and dinged and wooted in vary degrees of alarm. He looked at the large screen at the head of the room. An orange glare filled the monitor. It was almost like someone had mixed blood with orange juice and painted it on the screen. People were scampering all over, their feet scuffing and padding and tapping across the floor. The air was cold. He rubbed his arms trying to warm himself.

"Boost the transceiver…" One voice cut though the cacophony.

"Transceiver is as charged as high as the circuits can hold," shouted another voice, rising out of the others.

"Try and get some resolution, we have to cut through this luminance," shouted yet another voice rising to Gennai's attention.

The voices faded back into the background as Gennai took in the rushing Order members. His eyes watched the screen, the evenly orange screen. Glowing at him as if it was some practical joke, but he knew better. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Master Gennai…" Luminel's voice rang in his ear. Gennai blinked and turned his head. The red haired woman was standing next to him again. "We're trying our best…"

"I know…" Gennai said with a heave of his chest. "Things could get ugly…in the next few minutes…"

"What do you mean?" the woman asked as she looked at the man.

Gennai pointed up to the screen. A shadow appeared in the ocean of orange. Large wings were unfurling; the wings were spiky in appearance but definitely within the lines of a bat or a dragon and not feathery like a bird's. The body was relatively humanoid, but the bigger, maybe six meters tall and much bulkier like it was covered in some sort of metal. A long, slim tail ending in some sort of heavy arrowhead was curling behind the body.

"What is that thing?" whispered one of the Order members as the room became uncannily silent.

"Something that's not supposed to be real…" Gennai said more to himself than to the others. His voice wavered between a speech and a whisper. "Something that is only imagined…The Great Terror…a story we tell baby digimon to keep them on the straight and narrow…the ultimate enemy…the ultimate incarnation of destruction…"

"DORUghoramon…" Luminel whispered quietly as she looked in awe of the shadow on the screen.

**888**

**AN: Shorter chapter, and I really changed things up this chapter from my original plan. I'm thinking this will work better. We'll see. I don't know I guess it will have to.**


	38. Turnover

**I don't own digimon**

**Turnover **

**888**

The orange glow, the anger, the rage, the blind, berserk rage, it was growing more powerful brighter. Wind screamed, wailed, shrieked and made any other sound of utter and complete pain as the air fled from the power that was building in the atmosphere. All the while the children, the present onlookers gaped in unmoving awe, terror, and amazement. A brightly glowing sphere was spinning harshly with bright orange energy, whips and tendrils of power snapped in curling ropes around the sphere's circumference. The ropes curled tighter and tighter around the center of the sphere, dragging in more and more power from the molecules unfortunate enough to be in the reach of the maelstrom. The ropes spun faster and faster. An unholy whine vibrated the air and the ground. The whine slowly swept up in pitch becoming sharper and more painful to listen to as the whine became a piercing scream. All those present covered their ears and dropped to their knees as the sound cut their ears and flesh like a knife. Just as the screaming shriek became mind bending and unbearable the sphere exploded. The ball of light that had been twisting it furious energy around like an insane merry-go-round was now completely evaporated, single streamers of light still twisted around the exposed figure within the now dissipated sphere.

Smooth, sharp armor covered the beast's body. The metal had a sapphire sheen to it. A large pair of wings unfurled from the beast's back. The wings were light those of a bat, save the long digits between the webbing of the wings was completely composed of twisted, gnarled metal blades. The hinges of the aerial appendages were huge metallic saber that stabbed through the air. The body itself was armored up and down. It was like the entire creature had been dipped in chrome. The head had a huge frill that rose up from the forehead, right behind a triangle of crimson that pulsed like an artery during a headache. The frill was like chromed flames with tongues of metal curling up off the beast's cranium. Chrome-fanged mouth of the beast was wide open showing the long, dagger fangs that protruded from the beast's snout. The shoulders had large, round metallic guards covering the strong joints between the creature's humerus and scapula. The upper arms' armor coating turned into a large, swept-back blade that pointed backward. The rest of the arm was a collection of smoothly put together armor plates that extended down into the long clawed hands. Thin, saber-like claws clenched together, the rest of the hands covered in bright, orange flames that flicked around the metal.

The beast's torso was covered also in the sapphire chrome. The chest's armor pushed forward in a blunted, process. The thin abdomen and waist were covered by more of a blue armored mesh, but one could see a more stable armor foundation underneath the mesh. The legs were covered in smooth, clean, shining metal. The knees were augmented by large twisted metal spikes, one spike on each patella. The feet extended down into three, long, metallic talons. A thin tail swept around the shingled armor on the tail neatly sliding one plate of metal over the next. The end of the tail carried a heavy arrowhead. The base of the arrow curved on each side of the tail like a battle axe that curved into a second base that curled to sharp, flat point.

"Do you really think this will change anything?" roared the second beast that dominated the scene. The larger beast was a centaur of sorts, with a large, sinewy, red bestial body and a blue armored humanoid torso. Two shark heads snapped from the beast's forward lower body's shoulders. Its finned, head glared at the metallic dragon hanging in the air. "Pathetic! You're nothing to me!"

The dragon didn't respond as it just hung there in silence, even the wind had disappeared after the digivolution had finished. GranDracmon chuckled loudly as he crossed his long, thin, red arms across the blue, bat-winged armor that covered his chest.

"Afraid to speak, eh?" snorted GranDracmon with his booming voice. "I'm not surprised." The large wings on the back of GranDracmon's back unfurled. "Allow me to end your terror."

GranDracmon's red arms shot forward, the long claws coming together with their pointed ends aiming at the metal coated dragon. The sound of claws striking metal clanged through the stagnant air. GranDracmon narrowed his red eyes as he looked at his clawed hands trying to drive into the azure coated metal of the dragon's body. The dragon growled slightly before lifting its arms. The flaming hands of the dragon closed onto the flesh of GranDracmon's arms; his claws cutting into the burning skin.

"Kill…that is my purpose…" growled the dragon. "Death, destruction, terror…I feel it pumping through your putrid flesh."

"HA!" retorted GranDracmon loudly, "I have no fear of you, pathetic beast!"

"Then I shall rectify that," replied the voice of the dragon as he yanked his clawed hands back, dragging the crimson arms with his claws. "The rest of your minimal existence shall be in terror…."

888

The children winced as the echoes of random snaps and crackles and tearing rips bounced into their ears. A loud pop was followed by GranDracmon roaring in pain. Sinews were snapping, like ropes that have been loaded beyond their capacity. Bone groaned as it was slightly elongated before the intercellular matrices started to crack. The bone yanked on ligaments and tendons crackled and snapped as the cartilage was torn asunder. Finally a pair of twin thumps rumbled across the ground as the mass of GranDracmon's arms crashed to the ground like huge pieces of lumber. The fingers were still twitching as residual action potentials jumped from nerve to muscles, contracting the muscles.

GranDracmon was howling in pain and fury. GranDracmon's huge, clawed feet stomped and his humanoid torso weaved back and forth. His head looked blankly at the empty sockets where his arms had protruded. His arms were now replaced by the spurting fountains of crimson fluid that exploded from the new orifices on either side of his upper torso.

Taku narrowed his eyes. Ren's head was pressed against his chest, her face and eyes pressing against his sternum, her sobs were muffled against his chest. Jiro was half slumped against him, the young blonde looking up in shock at the scene, his brown eyes quivered as the large dilated pupils tried to take in what was going on. Kisho was looking up in awe, dumbstruck. One of his hands was gently clenching his digivice. The fingers slowly slid from the small, white device. It fell and silently bounced on the ground. The brunette slowly dropped forward, his knees striking the hard, sandy earth. Haru walked slowly forward and dropped down next to the brunette. The blue eyed boy gently lifted his hand and put it on Kisho's shoulder.

"I…just wanted to stop GranDracmon…" Kisho whispered as he looked up at the metallic dragon hovering in the air. "This isn't…what I expected…"

"Let's not get too anxious…" Haru replied quietly as he gently tightened his fingers around Kisho's shoulder. "It may work itself out…like DemiDevimon and Taku…"

"No…" Taku hissed under his breath as he glared up at the shimmering dragon digimon hanging in the air. "This is different…feral…it's more than a corruption of the true purpose…it's like there is nothing left of the true energy left, he's just being fed by sheer will…"

The snarling of GranDracmon lowered as the demon beast's face slowly readjusted out of the crunched up wince of pain to a more angered look. The beast's eyes narrowed. The metal dragon was huge unto itself, and its wingspan easily matched that of GranDracmon's but the dragon's body was much shorter and was not nearly as bulky as GranDracmon's.

"Your power may be incredible but even the most powerful fall at my knees," growled GranDracmon, his voice shaking the air. The shark heads at his waist squealed loudly. The demon beast chuckled loudly, "You want to take a chance against him my pets? Fine…let us. Crystal Revolution!"

The shark heads mouths filled with a blue energy. Shards of blue crystals belched from the mouths. The dragon snorted as its wings curled tightly around its body. The crystal shards plinked and exploded across the re-enforced metal wings. The wings flashed opened and the remaining crystal shards were thrust back at their owner. GranDracmon retreated as the sharks stabbed and cut at his lower torso, tearing into the sinewy, corded, red flesh that composed his lower half. The metallic dragon charged forward and smashed its flaming hands into the mouths of the shark heads on either side of GranDracmon's waist. A muffled screech came from the sharks as a long, writhing, pink, rope-like thing was yanked from each mouth. It took the children a couple of seconds to realize that the ropes were actually forked on the end, and weren't ropes at all but the shark heads' tongues. There was a loud crack and one of the right shark head's maxilla bent upward causing the head to point upward at a one hundred degree angel. A loud snap and ripping sound indicated that the left shark head was being twisted and ripped from GranDracmon. The beast demon snarled as the metallic gray head was tossed to the ground, its back end nothing but a red hole.

"This is over…" roared GranDracmon as he declined his head and his eyes turned from red to white. "Eye of…."

The metal dragon's flaming hands pressed against GranDracmon's face. The demon roared in pain as the flames charred his eyes and face. The smell of burning flesh curled down from the fight filling the nostrils of the digi-destined with the rancid smell. A few seconds later a loud crack was followed by a large, rounded shape crashing to the ground. GranDracmon's body wavered back and forth and then collapsed on its side. The thunder from the collision shook the ground and the air. A wave of dust and debris rolled toward them like a sandstorm.

Taku swung around putting his back to the wave of dust and slinging Ren and Jiro under his torso. Taku made a quick glance over and saw Haru push Kisho to the ground, forcing the brunette's green banded goggles over the boy's face as the blonde buried his face into Kisho's back. The wind a dust held a foul smell, like rotting eggs and meat. The putrid concoction burned the noses of all those exposed with the sheer fetid quality it had. It took everything Taku had to hold the bile back from gushing out all over the place. His eyes watered, partly from small bits of sand and dust but mostly from the searing quality the noxious air had. He held the two people in his arms closer pressing their heads against his chest. A cold dagger rammed his back. His eyes reflexively shot open and though dust and the smell burned them he turned his head and looked back.

"Arkadimon…." Taku whispered quietly as he sat back up. The dust swept around and finally the wave past, dragging its contents with it as it past. A residual haze of particulate hung in the air.

"Wha…what is that horrible malevolence I feel…in my bones…" growled a voice.

Ren's head shot up and her mouth dropped open. The brunette girl leapt to her feet and lunged toward the source of the voice. Taku and Jiro looked up and a smile crept across their faces. A pile of granite shards laid on the ground, but in the middle of the granite shards was a large, black dragon. Thin, but muscular legs rose up from the rock to a metallic skirt that wrapped around its thin waist. A tone stomach, with nicely carved set of adnominal muscles, stretched up to a metallic brassiere that hugged a muscular but rounded chest. A pair of strong arms was carefully curled around the brunette, who was latched onto the dragon. A spike curled back on each arm, like a bent nail. Clawed hands laid softly on Ren's back trailing the thick claws up and down the girl's spine. The dragon's head was turned down. A metallic plate covered the dragon's face up to a pair of sharp prongs that extended up from the back of the dragon's head.

"Cyberdramon…I thought I lost you…" The girl whispered as her fingers curled tighter against the dragon's skin.

"It…must be GranDracmon's destruction…" whispered Haru as he turned and watched Grademon slice free from his rocky tomb. The golden swordsman dropped to one knee. "In some of the stories…after Medusa is destroyed the heroes were freed from the spell…"

"Then I guess we should be lucky that GranDracmon read the right books," said Grademon quietly as the knight walked forward. His long, golden armored legs stepped from the rock rubble on the ground. His armor was the same bronze-gold coloration up and down his thin, lithe body. His golden eyes narrowed as he looked ahead. The azure cloak he wore settled around his body like a robe. "That incredible power…that anger, what is that hatred that soaks the air with the smell of death and decay?"

"Depends…" Haru said as he looked into the settling haze. "Leftover GranDracmon or whatever the heck DORUmon evolved into…"

"Or Arkadimon…" hissed Taku angrily. Haru looked up, his azure eyes narrowed.

"If the others are free from that attack GranDracmon used then wouldn't Paildramon…" Jiro said suddenly as he leapt to his feet from his leaning condition against Taku's chest.

"He's in the crossfire…" Taku growled as he clenched his fists, "We have to get closer…Kisho, we have to get closer; it's our only chance to get this mess fixed!"

The brunette was looking up at the large dragon hanging in the air. A soft growl rumbled through the air as the dragon's upper torso slowly expanded and contracted.

"Kisho, snap out of it!" Haru grabbed the brunette's shoulder and turned the boy around so that the brunette's brown eyes locked with Haru's blue eyes, "This was a mistake, but if we're going to fix it, you're going need to snap out of this. If you want to see DORUmon again get up."

Kisho's eyes twitched slightly, "I…don't deserve…"

A loud crack snapped through the air. Taku, Jiro and Ren's mouths fell open. Grademon and Cyberdramon winced slightly. Kisho lifted his hand up to his turned head to a pulsing red hand print burning on his cheek.

"I don't want to hear you say that," Haru growled under his breath as his hands reached up and grabbed the boy's blue T-shirt by the front. Haru stood up and yanked Kisho to his feet, "You've been the one that's been pushing us forward, unafraid. You've been leading the charge!"

"I failed…" Kisho whispered as his head slumped down and he looked at the ground. "I don't deserve to…"

Crack!

The children and the digimon shuddered again. Haru narrowed his eyes, "What did you say?"

Kisho didn't respond. His head was lowered in despondence. His eyes were not really unfocused just not interested. His face had a red mark on each side. Twin, pulsing handprints glowed on his cheeks. Haru growled and shook the boy until the brunette brought his eyes up to Haru's.

"What do you want me to do?" hissed Kisho venomously.

"Take some damned responsibility and show some backbone and fix it!" Haru snarled back as he glared into the pair of soft chocolate orbs looking at him through the thick glass of the brunette's goggle lens. "He's your friend; no he's more than that. Only a coward would just leave their friends at time like this! Are you a coward?"

"No…" Kisho whispered quietly.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you?" Haru shot back loudly.

"NO! I'm not a coward!" Kisho shouted as he pushed against the gray fabric that made up Haru's shirt and knocked the blonde haired boy backward. "I'm not a coward!"

"Then stop acting like one," Haru growled as he stood up. He dusted his pants off and glared at Kisho, "Are you going to stand up to your mistake or are you going to kneel in the dirt again and zone out, like some ostrich ramming its head in the sand?"

"Whatever you're going to do, do it…I don't know if Paildramon could handle going up against either Arkadimon or whatever that thing is…by himself…actually I don't know if we can do it together…" Grademon said as the golden armored swordsman stepped forward in a long, heron-esque stride.

"Well?" Haru glared at Kisho, his sharp, sapphire eyes blazing. A small, stifled explosion filled the air, and Kisho looked back to see a puff of dust and flame poof into the air.

"We have to try…" Kisho said slowly more to the ground than anyone around him.

Haru nodded and reached out, clasping the brunette's soft brown hand. "Grademon, let's get up there and see what's going on."

The knight quickly snatched the two children up scooping them upward and cradling them in his arms. The blue cape flapped and whapped as it unfurled behind the swordsman.

Cyberdramon didn't even wait for the request and the dragon scooped the children and flapped her four, thin, crimson wings and lifted off the ground with three small heads looking down at the ground below, streaming past as Cyberdramon's wings beat against the cold, stagnant air.

888

Paildramon crashed to the ground and rolled, his wings curled around his body. The wing membranes, between the groups of phalanges, were scuffed and scratched from scraping against the rocks, and sandy earth. Heat pressed against the dragon's gold and black armor. His red chocolate eyes flickered open and he let out a short grunt as he pressed his gauntleted hands against the gritty, pebbly soil. His black and white wings unfurled slightly and his eyes slowly rose up to see what had smashed his escape from the granite tomb.

Paildramon's eyes instantly shrunk as he peered at the hulking dragon standing above him. A chrome metal body accentuated with sweeping, blade-like armor projections at several of the joints, such as the elbows, shoulders and knees. Huge, chromed wings were unfurled, with large, gnarled sword projects between the metal glossed webbing.

"DORU…DORUghoramon…" Paildramon choked the name and took a slow step backward. "Could it be…we're still dreaming…? A nightmare…it has to be…a nightmare…"

"If…only it were," A hoarse, buzzing voice growled statically. "Instead, it's reality…in the dress of your worst nightmare…facing not just the insanity of an ancient boogieman but your greatest fears…me…"

Paildramon turned slowly. A muscular, upright beast was standing in the epicenter of leftover flesh and blood. It had a broad chest and shoulders. A pair of fleshy wings was slightly unfurled; the underskirts of the wings were wriggling with thousands of crimson tentacles. A tiny, insectoid head was perched between the muscular shoulders, with red tuffs of hair pushing out from under the mask of green exoskeleton. Pulsing blood vessels pumped up to the small ovoid head. The creature's flesh was a mixed, green-beige color. The upper arms had black coils of some armor wrapped around the muscles. The lower arms were wide, as an apricot exoskeleton fanned out from the elbow to five, long, rubbery, red claws. The left hand had its red claws coiled around a black pedestal holding a black, crystal ball. The lower limbs were much like the rest of the beast, bulging and muscular, though they were nearly completely covered in green-beige fleshy armor. The beast had wide, three toed feet ending again in long red claws.

"Bastard…" Paildramon growled as he looked back at DORUghoramon. "What have you done, Arkadimon!"

"I have done nothing," buzzed the muscle bound creature. "This one is of your own creation."

"What do you mean?" Paildramon growled as he glared at the hulking form of Arkadimon.

"This is your friend, DORUmon…" chuckled Arkadimon as he lifted his head and looked into the maw of the metallic dragon; it was standing in coiled rage, evidently trying to measure the two targets that were before it. "See what happens when rage and hatred are allowed to blossom…a being most magnificent was born…"

"A mindless killing machine, you mean?" growled Paildramon as he lifted his gauntleted arms. The white and black spikes protruding from the counter-colored gauntlets snapped with energy.

A loud roar rose behind Paildramon and then heat swarmed up his back. Paildramon leapt forward just as a concussion wave smashed against him. The dragon turned his head and saw the flaming, metal fist of DORUghoramon smashed into a crater where Paildramon had been standing. Paildramon hovered in the air and turned back to Arkadimon.

"You're making a mistake…" chuckled the muscle bound, insect mutant. Paildramon narrowed his red eyes. It didn't take long for him to realize that DORUghoramon wasn't finished. The realization came from a sharp, burning strike to the middle of Paildramon's back. Paildramon crashed back to the ground on his chest. Paildramon's claws dug into the earth. The rubbery claws on Arkadimon's massive hands shot forward. "Freeze Tentacle!"

Paildramon rolled as the talons cut into the earth. The ground around the contact sight turned a frosty, crystalline blue. Paildramon pushed himself up and scrambled to his feet. He leapt into the air. His eyes glanced back and forth between DORUghoramon's sharp form and the bulky, muscular form of Arkadimon.

"This isn't over, Arkadimon…" Paildramon growled as he allowed a long, white spike extend from his onyx gauntlet.

"It is! Freezing…" Arkadimon's arm extended but instantly he was sent hurtling backward by a twisting blast of white plasma.

Paildramon's eyes widened, as he traced the plasma back to DORUghoramon. A glint caught Paildramon's attention and he instantly turned his head. A black pedestal was turning end over end in the air. Arkadimon had released the Dark Digimental in the attack. Paildramon's wings tilted and he dove. The rounded head of the crystal ball fell into Paildramon's arms. Paildramon glided upward and looked down at the object in his arms, sparkling innocently in his eyes. An orange glow filled the crystal ball's face. Paildramon turned and dropped backward as flames roared past. The heat pressed against Paildramon's black helmet and dried his eyes forcing the DNA digivolved digimon to blink its eyes.

"Freeze Tentacle!" A swarm of crimson rope was twisting and whirling toward Paildramon. The flames fanned out around the tentacles. The black and white dragon had no time to move, to avoid the attack.

"Grade Slash!" Golden glints of light and loud swiping sounds cut through the air. A blue cape twirled in front of Paildramon, and clumps of crimson flesh dropped to the earth. Paildramon blinked as he watched the cape glide back to the ground. The cape swept to the left revealing a bronze swordsman, his swords drawn.

"Grademon!" Paildramon said in shock as he looked over to where DORUghoramon was snarling at a lithe, black dragon sending hazel pulses into chrome Mega's stomach. Paildramon smirked slightly, "Cyberdramon…"

"Paildramon, you should go back to where the children are, and rest," Grademon shouted as he crossed his swords.

"Are you…" Paildramon winced. He looked down at the sparkling surface of the Dark Digimental. "…sure?"

"Freeze Tentacle!" Arkadimon snarled.

Ruddy whips of rubber caught Grademon's attention and the swordsman swept one of his thin, strong swords in a sharp arc. Golden energy sliced behind the blade and the tentacles were sliced cleanly from their bases. The rubbery whips writhed on the ground, flopping and wriggling on the dusty earth. Grademon turned its head back to Paildramon and nodded slowly.

The white and black dragon grunted and flew. DORUghoramon snarled and sliced its chrome claws up through the air, dragging the flames that roared around the palms of the metal covered gargoyle upward. The heat of the flames licked against the exposed, gray skin of Paildramon's stomach. The long, thin, chromed tail of DORUghoramon curled upward, the flat of the arrowhead plate at the end of the tail swung towards Paildramon's face. Paildramon twisted to the left letting the flat of the tail plate rush past his body. Paildramon then dove toward a group of children several hectometers away from the fight.

888

Arkadimon growled. The swordsman and the black dragon were turning things, and with the Dark Digimental out of his hands he could feel the purifying affects of the Digital World's defenses trying to rub him into a more manageable bite size form. His increase musculature burned from exertion as he tried to maintain his strength whilst fending off the swordsman and the black dragon. They were attacking in unison now, their attacks pouncing onto his tough flesh.

DORUghoramon was snarling and firing at the two other digimon and at him. A blast of twisting, white plasma was raging towards him. He crossed his thick arms over his chest and head. The plasma burned and hissed against his armored appendages. Ionized gasses discharged bursts of electrical energy in loud snaps and angry hisses across his armor.

He grew angered as he felt a sickening pressure against his stomach. A thin, muscular arm had embedded its clawed fist against his green flesh. The faceless, metallic face mask was right below his fist. The claws, at the end of his arms, curled into a fist. He dropped his club-like fist against the dragon's spine. The thin, red wings swept upward, and the dragon crashed to the ground. He swung his wide, clawed foot upward kicking the dragon away with a minimal effort.

A twisting burst of wind howled against his left side. He growled and lifted his left arm, blocking the attack. Before he could release a counterstrike a huge shadow curled around his beige-green body. A pair of orange flames was driving towards him. He reflexively pushed his hands up catching the flaming fists in his armored hands. He let out an aggravated groan as the combination of the flames searing into his palms and the purifying energy of the Harmony barrier stabbed into his straining muscles. He growled loudly and pushed DORUghoramon retreated one or two steps and Arkadimon leapt backward, spreading his heavy wings. He could feel the little villi on the wings' surfaces wriggling. He strained forward and the villi shot forward. DORUghoramon snarled and sliced its bladed wing forward, cutting the tiny tentacles. The wings swept back and the metallic maw opened and another twisting blast of plasma rushed forward. The ionized torrent burned against his chest. Emerald energy exploded against his small head, the exoskeleton of his head deflected the attack easily enough. A cut scratched against his chest. A lithe knight was leaping backward, his swords crossed. A golden torrent of energy shot forward from the intersection of the blades and struck him.

"Enough of this!" Arkadimon snarled as he pushed his arms out, with his fists clenched. A dome of small black dots formed around his body. Arkadimon then splayed his clawed fingers. The dome expanded outward and the dots swarmed his three attackers. The black spots were easily seen on the golden armor of the swordsman and the sapphire chrome of DORUghoramon but they were less noticeable on the black muscles of the dragon, save for the thin, red wings which looked as if they had had pepper sprinkled on them. The attackers looked down at themselves as the dots continued to accumulate on the three digimon. Arkadimon then clamped his hands tightly shut. "DOT MATRIX!"

The dots glowed and then the super heated dots exploded. Arkadimon chuckled softly as he watched all three digimon fall backward onto their backs. He winced hard, holding his body as purifying energy punched into his gut. The pain ripped upward and burned through his arms. He staggered a couple of steps and then concentrated pushing the pain away and stood straight.

He slowly walked forward, stepping on the wings of DORUghoramon as he walked over the fallen creatures. He was walking towards a group of five humans, being guarded by a still winded and weak Paildramon.

The Paildramon's golden armor was scuffed, dented and burnt. The black leggings were cracked as were the platinum and onyx gauntlets. Off color bruises spotted the murky yellow flesh of the dragon. One of the dragon's red eyes were closed, leaving one of the onyx helmet's eye ports a complete void. The white thorn in the left arm's gauntlet was raised.

"Don't come closer, Arkadimon," snarled the dragon as it lowered its hands to the cannons attached to its hips.

"Go ahead, I'm far too busy to deal with low level scum like you," Arkadimon snorted in reply.

The cannons swiveled forward. He sighed quietly in annoyance as the white and black pellets of energy fired from the muzzles of the guns. He lifted his hand and blocked the attack. He swept his hand upward. A swirl of black dots curled into existence. The dots rushed forward and collected all over the Paildramon's body. A few seconds later the dots exploded. The dragon staggered backward and dropped to on knee. Arkadimon narrowed his eyes.

"_It's working according to plan…" _Arkadimon watched as the dragon glowed and split into two digimon, a winged, gray skinned dragon and a golden armored knight.

"We won't be made to go unconscious so you can cut through our partners," growled the gray skinned dragon as his spiked knuckles pressed on the ground pushing the dragon's muscular body up to its feet.

"We won't be defeated so easily by you," growled the knight as he stood up. Tiny ports on the large shoulder pads opened up. "My light shall cut through your evil body!"

Arkadimon stopped and a smiled curled across his face underneath the exoskeleton mask on his head. He tensed his body and glared into the knight's eyes. The knight's golden armor glowed with a yellow radiance. The air cracked with energy as light streamed forward from the ports on the knight's armor. The light ripped forward flaring against his body. He grunted as the light burned across his flesh. He pressed the burning sensation down, collecting it in the pit of his stomach and then he sucked in deeply. He pulled the light in drawing it towards the pit of burning energy in his stomach.

He lifted his eyes and saw the surprised look on the knight's face as his attack refused to end. The light streamed in faster and faster swirling into the pit of Arkadimon's stomach. Arkadimon could feel the warmth spreading as the light was digested; the pressure from the harmony barrier seemed to disappear.

"Fool," Arkadimon whispered as he continued to draw in the light.

"What's going on?" Growled the dragon loudly as it glanced at the knight.

"I can't…stop the attack…it's like he's siphoning energy off of me…" growled the knight as he winced.

"I don't understand how he can take it," A small, yellow-haired human standing behind the knight called. "I thought he was evil?"

"Why is he doing it?" growled the black haired boy, Taku. The Paildramon must have handed the boy the Dark Digimental because the artifact was now in the boy's hands.

"To replace that which you have proven to be most easy to lose," Arkadimon replied as he continued to draw the energy in. "I need the Dark Digimental to shield my power from the purifying power of the barrier. The Dark Digimental hides my energy signature from the barrier, as do my hosts…but as you have shown those means of hiding are becoming more and more inefficient. I have to continue to find more and more powerful hosts in order to survive because you continue to reclaim the digimental. I grow weary of having to hide. I was created to fight and destroy, not run and hide."

"That doesn't explain anything!" snarled the black haired human loudly, "How does taking hits from Magnamon change anything!"

"Because…he's absorbing the Light from the attacks, doing so causes his darkness to seem less concentrated…" A second yellow haired human walked forward. Its blue eyes were narrowed, "he's equalizing himself. Hiding the darkness under a film of light, absorbing the holy to diffuse the unholy…quite ingenious."

"I don't need your compliments…" Arkadimon snorted. Magnamon groaned as he dropped to his knees. The light energy poured out of his body like water from a broken damn.

"We have to stop this, he's sucking Magnamon dry!" the little yellow haired human shouted.

"How can we stop him?" a third human said, with long brown hair.

"Use his own trick against him," the second yellow haired boy snapped his fingers. "Taku, we need to have ExVeemon attack Arkadimon!"

"Guys…" The fifth human looked up. The goggles were over the brown eyes.

"Not, now, Kisho," Taku said loudly, "ExVeemon!"

"Right!" The dragon crossed its chest. "If you like Magnamon's Light, you'll love my Darkness! V Laser!"

Arkadimon snarled as a cross of black energy crushed against his body. The darkness was canceling out the light. Arkadimon wrenched away from the attacks and staggered backward, tearing the light he had collected from the tainting affects of the gray skinned dragon. He took another step back and pointed his thick, armored arm forward letting the rubber claws point at ExVeemon. Magnamon was on all fours; it was heaving loudly, its breath puffed out of the knight's mouth.

"You'll be sorry, for interfering," growled Arkadimon loudly. He looked at the humans and the dragon, their faces were tense and their eyes were wide in awe and terror. He could only feel gratification coursing through his veins. "Freeze…"

A blast of heat blasted into his back. Arkadimon staggered forward and dropped to his knees. He could feel the numbing electricity running over his muscles and shook. The loud screech of metal sliding on metal tore through into his ears. The absorption of the light must have blunted his senses, he hadn't even noticed. Another stream of heat roared against his back as electrically charged ions discharged across the membranes of his wings.

"DORUmon…" the goggle wearing human said quietly.

He didn't have time for this. His light core was corrupted by the dragon's attack, it was deteriorating. He had to leave before the core was completely nullified and the barrier's affects returned. The plasma roared against his back, burning his armor. The plasma then faded. It was now or never. Arkadimon dug his claws into the dirt and then twisted his body around tossing the soil upward. The dirt smashed into the hulking, chrome beast behind him. DORUghoramon snarled angrily and tossed its head back, lifting its claws up to its face. Arkadimon spread his hurting wings and took off and then shot off toward the south, leaving the humans behind.

888

"And you said that developing these fliers was a stupid idea," snorted the robed man as he walked around a hovering machine.

His blue eyes flicked back to the red haired woman behind him. The woman shook her head and looked down at what seemed to be a clipboard. She lifted a small pen and tapped it. The 'clipboard' was actually a portable computer system lit by an LCD. The pen was a special mouse that used a laser to interact with the sensors on the LCD screen.

"Yes, yes, Project: Grani was ingenious," said the woman quietly. "I am just amazed that we disagreed with you, considering our limited supplies and well, at the time there had been no need…"

"Do I sense a wee bit of sarcasm in your voice?" said the blue eyed man as he walked around the red machine.

A pair of wings extended out of a central body, that connected to the head of the machine, that looked like a bird's head with a beak like snout and slightly frilled crest. The entire machine had golden linings. A pair of talon-like horns extended out of the machine's 'chest'. A small stand was extended from below the machine's body with a wide foot like projection that constituted the landing gear. The tail swept up into a red nodule.

"Master Gennai, I just don't see how you can be so…flippant now," grumbled the woman as she looked up at the man. His hair was brown and gently spiked. "Only twenty minutes ago you were giving orders like a military officer…and now…you're…"

The woman arched an eyebrow as the man leapt up on the machine and jostled back and forth making engine sounds.

"So how does it work?" The man's blue eyes jumped up and looked directly into the woman's hazel eyes. "I mean, I know how it works, but I want to know how to control it…"

"Most of the commands are given to pressure sensitive pedals on the piloting plate…" said the woman as she pointed to a round circle on the mechanical bird's back. "Back and forward are up and down, respectively, left and right are…"

"Ooo, I know this one…left and right…respectively of course…correct?" Gennai said like an overenthusiastic child at Christmas.

"Your penchant for the obvious is astonishing," said the woman under her breath. She narrowed her eyes. "You do understand you're basically going to be flying around on a modified Pteranomon…that's had its digi-core removed…"

"It was beyond repair…we gave it a second life," Gennai said, his innocent voice replaced by a darker almost sinister voice, "now is not the time to be debating the ethics…"

"I just wanted for it to be noted…" said the woman quietly. "The risk we're taking is immense. The data code that was created is extremely dangerous, if it's allowed too much latitude it could destroy everything…"

"Bah, this code is designed specifically to excise extra data," snorted Gennai as he stood up and pressed his foot on the left side of the circle. The mechanical bird tilted to the left. Gennai then put his weight on the right side of the command circle and the bird righted itself.

"The code transmitter has been hooked up to the Grani's forward weapons' array," the woman said in a sour tone. "There should be a cord connected to a button, that's your trigger,"

Gennai picked up a small cylinder with a red button on it. He pressed the button three times and frowned. "It doesn't work…"

The woman sighed and shook her head. "The weapons' array will be inoperable until Grani is within range of the target. A targeting system should appear in a holographic projection in front of you at that time. It will take about a third of a second to a full second to get a stable lock; unfortunately our computations suggests that DORUghoramon will need to be in contact with the code for at least five seconds in order for us to excise enough of the data to force a de-digivolution. Gennai, Grani wasn't made for defense. All it would take is a close side swipe from DORUghoramon to seriously disable the flier…"

"Talking about defense how will I keep from falling off…and what about acceleration?" Gennai asked as he looked down at the circle he was standing on.

"The trigger button, there is a thumb throttle, up is acceleration, down deceleration," replied the woman quietly as she looked up at Gennai, "There is a resonance shield calibrated to your personal EM vibrations. It surrounds the command circle. If all works as good as it's programmed to, then you should be safely restrained within the command circle…"

"What if there is an emergency…?" Gennai said quietly, "like, if I have to jump ship…"

"You shut the throttle off, and hit the trigger, as long as you're no longer engaging an enemy…the combination of throttle shut off and trigger activation should shut down the shield. Gennai, I must say that I think it is unwise to do this…we should call the angels…" the woman said as she hugged the 'clipboard' against her chest.

"Luminel, the angels are busy, not only that if one of them were called it would give Arkadimon quite the advantage…" Gennai replied sternly. "We can do this. We can't keep hiding behind others. If we continue to project a defenseless demeanor we will continue to see attacks like the ones we encountered from Matadormon…in these dark times it is not wise to be the weak gazelle in this den of lions."

"If I remember correctly, gazelle travel in interspecific herds…with larger more formidable creatures," replied the woman quietly.

"Unfortunately, our lions can look like our buffalo," Gennai said quietly. He leaned back slightly and flicked his thumb on a small, sliding switch on the button box.

Grani hummed quietly as the electromagnetic drive charged and the flier ascended jerkily toward a large sunroof. Luminel pressed a button on the clipboard. The sunroof slowly opened and after the glass plating was fully opened Grani and Gennai jerked slowly out the window.

888

Grademon and Cyberdramon charged forward and skid in front of DORUghoramon, placing themselves between the large, metal beast and the humans. Grademon had his swords drawn and crossed. Cyberdramon had her claws raised. The two digimon added to the number of digimon between him and the humans. There were already a viral form of ExVeemon and an exhausted Magnamon before him.

DORUghoramon roared savagely; its piercing screech cut through the air and the ears of the children and digimon in front of it. Its eyes were watering and it hurt. It didn't know how it could identify the two digimon that had made shields of themselves but it knew them, it didn't care. The other, bulky insect had escaped, running away in terror of its horrendous power. These would also, soon, either run away in terror or be slain. DORUghoramon clenched one of its fists and then drove it into the earth. The dirt and sand melted from the flames and re-solidified as impure glass. The two digimon in front of him didn't flinch. Neither did the humans or the four digimon.

"Don't make us hurt you, DORUmon," growled Grademon as the lithe swordsman peered at DORUghoramon from above the point of intersection of the digimon's swords.

"We don't want to fight you," Cyberdramon continued as the dragon clenched its fists.

"_They didn't want to fight?"_ The idea was absurd and insane. There was no other reason to exist than to strike fear into the hearts of others. Having others fear you was the ultimate way to know you were not a coward, the only way. These digimon were trying to trick him. That would not be allowed. "Fear me, cowards who refuse to fight, you shall be struck down!"

He opened his mouth. He could feel the energy building. The ionized gasses swirled in his maw. He was going to take the two digimon who had spoken out first. He'd then think about the others. He was nearly ready to attack when he noticed one small figure running forward.

It had messed up brown hair. It wore a small blue shirt. The creature was bipedal, thin and looked impotent. A pair of glasses was perched over its eyes. It was waving its hands in the air. The insignificant speck was shouting at him.

"Don't do it DORUmon!" shouted the speck loudly, "Please! I'm sorry DORUmon! I didn't want to make you a monster! I just wanted to be strong to stop GranDracmon! I'm sorry I shouted at you, you were trying to protect me…I should've done the same…now you're a monster…and…"

DORUghoramon tilted his head. The voice was hoarse, weak and filled with nervousness. It was a voice he could slightly recollect but from where he didn't know. It was unimaginable that he'd remember such an impotent opponent, but then again he could only remember a few moments of his entire life, other than the transpirings of this last hour or so.

He narrowed his eyes. _"Why should this insignificant speck make me hesitate?"_

"DORUmon, please," the speck was shouting again. There was a quiver, a waiver to its voice. A mournful sadness seemed to rise up, "DORUmon, don't do it, stop this…I just want you to turn back to normal. I want you to be my friend again. I don't want you to be a monster anymore, please come back to me….please, DORUmon, please. I'm begging you, don't let this continue. I'm sorry, DORUmon, I'm sorry…."

This was insufferable. It was crying. It was sobbing, and begging like some pathetic coward. It wasn't even going to fight, but just surrender. It was trying to steal the honor of the fight from him, but something in him said that this made sense. Something said that this insignificant, human bug was more important than fighting and striking terror in others. It was impossible. The little speck was nothing compared to him. He couldn't attack though. His mind seemed to have frozen his body. He couldn't make a move forward or back. His eyes could only look down at the speck.

"DORUmon," shouted the speck again, "I love you…I just…wish I could make you feel better…you must be in so much pain, to have all that hatred in you, you must be miserable…I was stupid…I subjected my friend to the worse things in the universe...I made you into a horrible monster. Please, forgive me…"

This feeling was unacceptable. This need for mercy was beyond anything that he could understand. He was the master of terror the force of fear. Nothing would make him back down, especially not some speck of blue cotton and tan flesh. He could feel his muscles tense and his body shook as his body struggled to enforce a command his unconscious mind was trying to rebuke. The energy was building up. The smell of the specks tiny tears burned his snout as their saline stench re-enforced his unwillingness to finish off the speck.

His mind was a tornado. Hatred and kindness, love and rage, mercy and cruelty tossed around the concepts wrestling in his brain, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other. He could hear the joints of his chromed body clattering slightly in his indecision. His fingers curled and uncurled.

His eyes glared down at the speck. He roared loudly and finally his mind snapped out of its gridlock. His mouth opened.

"Kisho!" shouted the swordsman, Grademon.

The plasma fired downward. It's white hot intensity warping the air around it.

888

Gennai squinted downward. Though the resonance shield blocked him from being thrown from the flier, a sharp, thin wind blew into his eyes, forcing them to dry and water. A stream of beeps caught Gennai's attention. His robes flapped in the wind as well. A glowing screen appeared in front of him. A pair of crosshairs bounced around the hologram. The fuzzy image of DORUghoramon was shown between the shifting crosshairs. Before Gennai could blink the crosshairs cinched down and blinked bright red.

Gennai looked up and saw DORUghoramon looming over the children. His mouth was open and plasma was boiling in his throat. An earth shattering roar rumbled from the scene. DORUghoramon's head snapped downward. The plasma fired downward. He could make out a few sudden movements and then saw ExVeemon and Magnamon retreat. Gennai growled and pressed the trigger button.

The flier's beak popped open and a beam of white light ripped from the transmitter. The beam slammed into DORUghoramon's chest. The metallic dragon lurched backward and hissed loudly as his body started to glow.

"One, one thousand…two one thousand….three one thousand," Gennai counted softly to himself as the beam continued to stream into DORUghoramon's chest.

The dragon snarled and its eyes glared at Gennai. Its mouth opened and the stream of plasma it was going to use on the children came rushing towards him and Grani.

"Son of a…" Gennai growled as stopped his left foot down. Grani instantly slung left. The crosshairs dispersed and the beam shut down. Gennai leaned forward as the plasma stream trailed after the veering flier. The plasma swept only a few feet over his head. Gennai could hear the electrical snaps in the charge molecules. "I'd give a kingdom for a high intensity deflector shield…"

The man leaned right again and the crosshairs re-locked onto DORUghoramon. Gennai pressed the trigger. The beam flew forward, this time striking the large metal beast in the flank. DORUghoramon growled loudly and flew into the air flapping its wings. The beam cut out as the dragon left the crosshairs. The little X's chased the dragon and a lock was re-established. The beam again was cutting upward at DORUghoramon. The metal dragon dipped out of its way. It opened its mouth and another river of white hot, ionized gas was sent hurtling toward the flier and Gennai. The flier this time curved upward as Gennai leaned backward. The plasma hissed under the electromagnetic hover systems and for a few frightening seconds Gennai thought the ionic interference would cause the hover jets to fail. Gennai veered away from the plasma and flew in a wide arc, trying to circle DORUghoramon.

The chrome beast took the offensive and dove toward Grani. Gennai swore under his breath as the dragon charged. All the other weapon systems on the bird were disconnected to make room for the transmitter unit. Grani instantly dipped down as DORUghoramon's body closed in. The larger dragon wasn't as maneuverable as Grani, but Gennai wasn't exactly an expert in flying the machine, actually no one was but at the moment that fact wasn't entirely important. Gennai clenched his left fist and with a sweeping motion swung his foot back and right sending the flier up and right in a hard turn swinging the front of Grani around to face the receding form of DORUghoramon. Gennai pressed the throttle up and accelerated chasing the dragon. The crosshairs in an eye's blink were locked and Gennai hit the trigger with his thumb. DORUghoramon twisted and swept left and right trying to shake the beam, but to no avail. The dragon turned its head back and a split second blast of white plasma flew forward. Gennai was too slow to respond and the blast smashed into the right wing. The flier shimmied and shook as Gennai struggled to hold it straight. The beam lanced left and right, riding the dragon's outline unstably. Five seconds passed then six, then eight. Finally, the dragon shimmered and unhealthy green color. Series of zeros and ones covered the dragon's skin.

DORUghoramon crashed to the ground. Gennai cut the throttle and let the flier hover in the air. The flier shook even though it was no longer moving and Gennai had to lean to the left to keep the machine level. DORUghoramon howled loudly and reached to the sky. Its wings rusted away, flaking into the air. A solemn screech stabbed the air. Gennai narrowed his eyes as the glow dissipated and finally disappeared. The digi-destined were rushing to the site.

Gennai leaned forward and gently pushed the throttle up. Grani flew down to the scene shakily. A red display was flashing on the holographic display. Gennai bit his lip. It was a warning, one of the power couplers were damaged, the power transfers were overloading. He had to get closer to the ground. He leaned forward. Grani grumbled as it shook into a higher gear. Grani's holographic warnings were soon replaced by a loud beeping that pierced ones ears like a knife. Gennai narrowed his eyes and moved to jump, and then realized. The resonance shield was still activated.

"Damn complicated thing," snorted Gennai as he cut the throttle.

He hit the trigger system. Gennai leapt from the flier, the resonance shield de-activated. The beeping sound still rang in his ears and then there was a loud 'boom' that rolled like thunder across the barren landscape below. His right shoulder crashed into the ground first and he rolled into the collision, tucking his chin against his chest. He grunted as he felt a pain shoot through his arm. There was no crunch or crack that accompanied the pain but that rarely meant anything, and either way pain still hurt, this one especially so. His legs didn't seem overly affected and he stood up slowly and felt his right arm and winced heavily as a pain shot up from his elbow and down from his shoulder. His entire body ached and his head pounded. He shook his head, though that ended up causing more problems than fixing anything. He closed his eyes and hummed slowly to himself and then started to walk toward the area DORUghoramon had gone down. He hoped he hadn't been too aggressive; after all, the beam did go three seconds long, he just hoped he hadn't excised DORUmon to nothing.

They were already there when he arrived. They were huddled around Kisho. The goggle wearing, brunette was kneeling on the ground holding something close to his chest. It definitely wasn't DORUmon, it was too small. The children's digimon had reverted to their Rookie forms. Guilmon had his head tilted. The red ear wings on the crimson dragon were drooped and a sad face was playing across its face. The dragon lifted its golden eyes up to Haru. The blonde's hand was gently resting on Kisho's shoulder. Agumon was looking down at the ground its arms crossed over its leathery, yellow body. Jiro was standing behind the tyrannosaur and had his small hands on the tyrannosaur's shoulders. His brown eyes were looking at whatever was in Kisho's arms the little boy's blonde hair was all mussed and tussled, evidently from the fight. Renamon was kneeling next to the brown haired girl, Ren. The fox had its furry head lowered. Ren's hand had somehow found its way into one of Renamon's paws and the girl's fingers squeezed slightly the fox's paws. DemiDevimon was sitting on Taku's head. The black haired boy had a frown cut across his face. The bat's golden eyes were downcast and its wings were hung limply.

"Well…" Gennai coughed as he approached. "Is everyone ok?"

Kisho turned slowly. His arms cradled a small object, not larger than a softball, save it was like purple-gray, furry gelatin. The creature wasn't moving and its eyes were closed. The tiny triangular ears on its head were folded tightly against its soft body-head.

"He's…not moving…" whispered Kisho quietly as a finger gently ran over the little digimon's brow. The fur had a tiny amount of lubricating slime on its surface that moistened Kisho's fingers as they slowly slid along glossy coat.

Gennai walked up slowly and knelt down next to the boy. "I had to do it. He was far too dangerous," Gennai's fingers lifted up and touched the digimon's fur, carefully eclipsing Kisho's smaller fingers. "He'll survive…I'm sure of it. He'll feel some pain, but he should be back to his old self soon enough…he just needs rest."

"How can you be so cold…acting like this is no big deal?" Taku's voice bit Gennai's ears.

"Sometimes, Taku," Gennai's voice spoke in a quiet, even tone. Not really mumbling, not really whispering, but rather it just spoke in a velveteen soft, quiet tone. "Sometimes, we must do things, horrible, painful things, to the ones we like, very much, to do something that is for the good of the entire world. No one likes to do it, least of all I, but when pressed against a corner, the needs of the many, are paramount to the needs of few…"

Gennai turned slowly to the others digi-destined. They were in varying degrees of anger and understanding. Jiro had his brows furrowed trying to measure Gennai's words with his own conscious. Haru was nodding slightly and still had his hand on Kisho's shoulder. Kisho himself was still numbly stroking the baby digimon in his arms, quietly mumbling his apologies over and over again at the little creature. Ren was looking down at the ground, unwilling to face Gennai or his revelation, and Taku, Taku was glaring at Gennai with little remorse or forgiveness.

"You're just justifying this to yourself…" Taku growled softly.

Gennai winced as his arm reminded him that the bone was under some kind of trauma, broken or sprained it was still up to debate. He looked down and sighed. He was neither physically or psychologically in the mood to debate a young, human child about the philosophy of majority's priority at the expense of the minority's pain.

He started to walk toward the north, "Come, we should retire to the Order's stronghold, I'm sure they will send someone to get us soon enough."

He could hear the sound of shuffling feet of children. The digimon's claws and feet moved more silently but he could still hear them gently padding on the earth. He heard Haru's voice prodding Kisho along, as the other boy continued to mumble softly to the digimon, now they seemed to be mumbles of assurance of promises, though an apology or two were still poking through the other whispers. It was going to be hard, hard to justify the way the Order worked to the idealistic reasoning of children, but then again he may not have to. It all depended on what kind of move Arkadimon would make, in the end; it was all depending on Arkadimon.

**888**

**AN: Sorry for the wait guys. I got sidetracked. Finally Matadormon's arc is over. We'll see what happens from here on out. I don't know; part of me likes the way GranDracmon was done in, wonderfully gruesome. This chapter sort of weaves back and forth. Gennai is probably a very difficult to write for and I think I take quite a few liberties with him. I just imagine him as incredibly flippant whilst holding an almost sinister seriousness within and always working in the background, almost a spy, almost maybe a Gandalf-esque character, but much more flippant than Gandalf. It's difficult to explain. **

**DORUghoramon became a much more hulking, seething beast of rage, like Megidramonand less like the wild unbarred monster that Skull Greymon was...I don't know where I was going with this, I just thought I'd point it out...**


	39. The Play is Made

**I don't own digimon**

**The Play is Made**

**888**

"No, no, you can't move that way," Taku grumbled as he replaced a pair of red pieces of plastic back along a painted trail on a cardboard flat. "You can only move a blockade when you roll a double…not just when you roll an even number…"

"That's stupid…the entire count of the roll is six; I should be able to move six spaces anyway I want," Ren snapped back as she glared at the pieces as Taku's pale hand replaced the pieces to their original position on the board. "Whether that means taking three movements with one piece and three movements with the other or two with one and four with the other…"

"That's not how the game's played, Sasaki-san," A blonde haired, blue eyed said in an airy tone. "Besides, it's bad enough we're letting you have it anyways…you're supposed to break up blockade when you can't move anymore of your pieces forward. Not just move your non-blockade pieces up to the back of the blockade and then move them backward…"

He wasn't looking at the brown haired girl but rather overlooking the entire board. The two red pieces were in the lead, the twin crimson pieces blocked the one way, boxy circuit that was situated between the four bases and the four ladders to the 'home'. Taku's green pieces were bottled up behind Ren's blockade, and his own blue pieces were jammed up behind Taku's. Ren's remaining pair of red pieces, each of the children had four pieces, were staggered behind Taku's the blonde's, unfortunately that meant that Ren would vindictively send a piece up to land on a space where one of either of the boy's pieces were, forcing the said piece to be sent to base, this would happen much to the grumbling annoyance of the boys.

"She's just going to move one of her other pieces, she'll then force us to base our piece and then we'll have to roll a five to get the piece out," Taku surmised in annoyance as his darkly irised eyes glared at Ren. "It's a stalling tactic…"

The brown haired girl snorted and flicked her fingers down and slid one of her red pieces along the segmented trail of the game board. The piece stopped on a space with a green piece.

"Aww, Taku…I'm sorry," Ren puffed her lips and made a faux sad face. "Plus this is the way our family has always played it…."

"Yeah, yeah you stupid…." Taku mumbled the rest of unpleasant diatribe under his breath as he flicked the emerald disk from its spot on the trail to a blue circle.

"Eventually you'll have to break your blockade," the blonde said quietly. "I've looked at the rules, this is illegal…"

"It's how I learned to play it, and it's how we're going to play it!" Ren snapped puffing her cheeks out and crossing her arms.

"Real mature…" Taku replied as he looked lazily down at the pastel colored game board. "It doesn't matter you can't stall forever…in order to win you'll have to move forward and when you do…" Taku rubbed his hands together and his eyes had an evil, mischievous look on them as the light glinted off his corneas, "heh, heh, heh…"

"Pish…All I have to do is wait until I roll doubles and then I can move the blockade directly, or some other combination that will allow me to move one of my blocking pieces forward and then move one of my trapped pieces up to a position to form a blockade in one turn," the brown haired girl replied with a gentle flick of her brown hair. "I don't see you doing anything useful, Haru…now don't I get ten movement points….?"

"More like twenty…but you can only go backward because of your blockade…" The blonde boy replied with an annoyed grumble, "and you shouldn't even be able to do that…"

"Oh well, looks like I'll just have to move backward and come back up for you, Haru," said the girl in a satisfied tone as she counted out the spaces and placed one of her unblocking, red pieces back ten spaces from the blockade. Ren's brown eyes looked up at the blonde's crystal blue eyes. "It's your turn, Haru."

"Yeah…not that there is a whole bunch to do…" Haru said to the board game as he curled his fingers around a pair of white and black dice. The plastic cubes were warm from their previous users' hand. He shook his wrist slightly the dice clacking against each other and then he let the dice slide from his hand onto the board. The dice made a rolling 'cluddering' sound and came to a rest on one face. The first die had five dots carved into its face in a star shape; the second had two dots that were carved diagonally, one in each corner. Haru sighed and glanced down at the board. He really couldn't do anything, forward five spaces and he'd have to retreat backward due to the forced blockade Taku had behind Ren's. Haru narrowed his eyes, "Seven…well may as well just go full force…"

He picked up one of his blue pieces and slid it forward five spaces, and then, running into Taku's pieces, he pushed it back two spaces. Taku made a chuffing nose and put his elbows on the table.

"Where's Jiro?" The black haired boy asked as he weakly lifted his hand and lowered his fingers, like a crane, onto the dice and picked them up.

"He's with Kisho and the other digimon," Ren replied quietly as she watched Taku limp-wristedly roll his dice. "Kisho's been pretty doting on Dorimon since he evolved from Dodomon…"

"Wouldn't you be a little over affectionate to Renamon if you single handedly turned her into a horrible monster that Gennai had to zap until she nearly reverted all the way back to a digi-egg?" whispered Haru in his airy tone as he leaned back against his chair and put his thin-fingered hands against the back of his skull. "Kisho feels very guilty right now."

"Damn it, Ren, break this damned blockade!" snarled Taku suddenly as he glared at the game board. "If you don't break it soon, I'm quitting."

Ren blinked and looked at Taku and smiled, "Oh, we'll see…"

"I wish Arkadimon would make a move…it's been a week," Taku grumbled as he crossed his arms, leaning back. "It's your move, Ren. So help me, if you don't break this blockade…"

"Jeesh…" snorted the girl as she picked up the dice and nearly in the same movement rolled the two cubes. The girl's eyes brightened as she looked at the pair of dice. They had the exact same design carved on their faces. Each had two rows of three black dots on them. Her lips curled up and a giggle escaped and then Ren tossed her arms up and shouted, "DOUBLES!"

The boys both sighed in unison as their heads crashed onto the tabletop.

888

"Are you sure you're ok, Dorimon?" Kisho said as he kneeled down and looked at the small, round digimon in the eyes. The digimon was on a bed with soft red blankets covering it.

"Kisho, for the fourteenth time I'm fine," the purple-gray digimon huffed as he padded around the bed.

"I just don't want you to get hurt…" Kisho whispered as his fingers reached forward and touched the coarse fur that covered the digimon's body. "I'm worried about you…"

"You're coddling me…" the digimon's golden eyes narrowed and hopped from Kisho's fingers. It looked at the group behind the brown haired boy. Three digimon and a blonde haired, brown eyed boy stood behind the brunette. "Isn't he, guys?"

"Dorimon, he is only worried about your wellbeing…" One of the digimon, a svelte, golden, bipedal fox said in a soft, lecturing tone. "We were all worried, you were ill for three days before you came out of your stupor…you only regained your In Training form yesterday."

"Yeah, twerp, you could've really gotten hurt," snorted a round, bat-winged, blue ball. "That thing Gennai did to you wasn't your run of the mill destructo-beam. It was actually deleting parts of your digi-core…"

"Only the parts that had DORUghoramon in them!" retorted the little, round, purple ball of digimon on the bed. The digimon stubby legs shifted as the digimon paced across the red, satin bedclothes. Its puffy lavender and white tail swished behind it. "And I say all the better…I don't remember anything from DORUghoramon but I do know that remember hearing Kisho crying for me to stop…"

"DORUghoramon was scary…" One of the digimon from the group said. It was a red dragon about a little over a meter tall. Its white chest was decorated with a black design. One of its hands was lifted to its face and one of the hand's claws was gently placed against its lips. The dragon's ears drooped slightly, "He tried to hurt us…I like Dorimon better when he's friendly…"

"Guilmon!" hissed a small, yellow tyrannosaur at the dragon's side. The thick armed digimon elbowed the dragon. "I think he's guilty enough…."

"It's ok…" Dorimon replied before the dinosaur could finish its hissed reprimand. "I know I did some bad things. I should be the one apologizing…"

"Idiot…" Kisho grumbled. The boy's fists clenched. "Don't take the blame…"

"Huh?" Dorimon looked up at the brunette. The boy's eyes were closed and his hair hung low on his brow. Even the glint of light off of the boy's green banded goggles seemed shadowed. Dorimon took a step forward, "What do you mean, Kisho? I did those things…"

"Don't be stupid…" Kisho growled between gritted teeth. The boy slumped down onto his calves. "We all know I made those things happen; we all know it's my fault; we all know I don't belong here, that…I should never have been the leader…"

"Kisho…" a small whispering voice rose up behind the brunette. The brunette turned slightly. The young blonde child was looking down at the floor. "You're the stupid one…"

"Jiro…" The yellow tyrannosaur gaped as he looked up at the blonde haired human with his hazel eyes.

"You continue to punish yourself…torment yourself," Jiro whispered in a slow, quiet whisper, "even though your friends and partner have forgiven you. Are you afraid of being forgiven?"

"What?" Kisho blinked and shook his head trying to wrap his head around the statement. "What would you know? You're just a…"

"Kid?" Jiro's eyebrow lifted. His eyes drew upward and looked at Kisho; their normal softness replaced by an earthen hardness. "I can feel it in you, squirming around in your skin…this anger this mean feeling, it's curling its claws around your soul…killing it."

"Jiro…" the tyrannosaur was looking in the boy's eyes.

"It is odd…" the fox whispered. Her blue eyes turned downward and looked at the back of the head of the blonde child. "I feel an uncanny sensation of power…coming from Jiro…its radiating from him like light from the sun."

"Renamon…I feel it, too," Guilmon gulped quietly as his eyes fell on the boy. "It's like someone's running a feather up my skin…it tickles…" Guilmon looked over to the bat winged ball. The bat was flicking its wings and hissing under its breath. "What's wrong, DemiDevimon?"

"It burns…" whispered DemiDevimon as he flicked his wings back and forth.

"You are a Child of Courage yet you hide in your own anger," Jiro whispered in an even tone. "You fear the fact that the past can be forgiven...unless you can accept this forgiveness and take the responsibilities put on you, you're crest will never glow, you will be a coward…"

"Kisho's not a coward!" shouted Dorimon as the little digimon leapt off its bed and onto the cold, brick floor. "Stop saying those things!"

"Jiro's right…I'm scared…I'm afraid that they've forgiven me too soon," Kisho said as picked up the little digimon. Kisho closed his eyes and hugged Dorimon close to him. "They didn't punish me, they didn't even yell, Gennai just said that things got 'weird'…what if I do it again; what if you turn into something even more gruesome; what if we can't stop you and you kill everyone? I can't…" Kisho sniffed and shook his head, "…can't…allow that to happen…that's why we can't go with the rest of the group…that's why we can't fight any more."

"Idiot…coward…" Jiro whispered quietly. His hard brown eyes cut through Kisho's skin to his heart. "This was a bad choice. You are a coward. You will allow them all to perish due to your failure to stand up in face of your failure. Friendship without Courage is meaningless…as is Courage without Friendship."

"If I try…" Kisho looked down at Dorimon. The little ball of purple fur looked up at Kisho. The brunette sighed quietly and closed his eyes, "I don't want to have to worry about it…"

Jiro lowered his head and shook it back and forth in disappointment. The boy turned and slowly walked away. Agumon gulped and ran after the little boy leaving the rest of the digimon looking at Kisho and Dorimon. Kisho's brown eyes were glaring at an angle downward at the smooth bricks on that composed the floor.

"He's wrong, Kisho," Dorimon said in a small voice. "You are brave; he just doesn't understand that…"

"Don't say that…" Kisho whispered quietly as he rose. "Maybe it's best if we leave…"

Renamon's, Guilmon's and DemiDevimon's eyes widened. The boy slowly walked out of the room. The fox swept in front of Kisho. The kitsune's azure eyes met Kisho's. The fox's arms were crossed over her chest.

"You have faced off against some of the most powerful beasts in this world and won, you have shown little fear in any of these endeavors…but it is now, that the words of a little boy chase you off?" the fox said in an icy tone.

"He's right…" Kisho looked down at the ground; the fox's white pawed feet were in his line of vision. "I'm a…"

"Eh, twerp," A weight rested on Kisho's head. The boy lifted his head and strained his brown eyes upward and saw the blue-gray face of DemiDevimon looking down at him from his perch on Kisho's head, "you aren't a coward; heck you walked right up to DORUghoramon and was willin' to take a blast from the thing…now if that ain't brave I don't know what is…"

Claws curled softly around Kisho's right arm and the boy turned his head and saw a red hand holding his arm. Kisho lifted his eyes and they met a pair of golden orbs quivering slightly. A pair of drooped ear-wings was lying limply on the side of the dragon's face.

"Don't go, I don't want you to go," said the dragon in his childish voice. "I want you to stay…I want Dorimon to stay…please, Kisho-san, please stay and play with us some more, pleeeeeeease?"

Kisho's eyes closed and he lowered his head. His fingers tightened around Dorimon gently gripping the coarse lavender fur. Suddenly klaxons and sirens went off. The lighting dimmed. Feet scuffed up and down the hall as men and women in beige robes rushed past their cloaks wafting after them. The digimon tensed and turned to the Order members as the rushed past.

"Kisho…" Dorimon whispered as his golden eyes rose up and looked up at the soft, face of the brown haired boy.

"Let's go see what's going on," Kisho said as he walked past Renamon and Guilmon. DemiDevimon spread his wings and hovered off the brunette's head.

The three digimon looked at each other and then followed the brunette into the crowded hall. Order members were bustling and scrambling. The klaxons had thankfully stopped their piercing screeches and now only flickering red lights in the hall alerted the bustling people of the emergency.

Kisho was pushing through the crowds and quickly turned down the hall that led to the room where Gennai had told them to meet in an emergency. The large metal doors at the end of hall were ajar. Kisho, holding Dorimon in his arms, ran through the pair of ajar, metal slabs and into a swarm of activity. The room had white tile walls and brick floors. Huge super computers lined the walls and consuls framed the aisles in the middle of the room. A huge screen was lit up at the head of the room, on the opposite wall from the entrance. It was displaying a map. A pulsing red dot was throbbing on the screen.

"Can you get them back on the radio?" shouted a voice through the low level hum of busy-ness. It was the voice of Gennai, though the voice was in a rarer, more frantic and serious tone.

"They have not replied to hails, sir," shouted another voice. Kisho didn't know that one, it sounded like a young woman's voice though.

"Continue trying!" Gennai snapped loudly. His silhouette appeared in the bustling crowd of blurred beige robes.

"Kisho!" The brunette's head looked up. His friends were sitting on a balcony above the floor where more computers and desks were also resting. They waved down to him and he turned and ran to a flight of steel mesh stairs that angled their way up to the balcony. The stairs were silent as he pressed his feet against their knobby faces. He saw DemiDevimon glide past him and kettle slowly up to the balcony and rest on his partner, Taku's, head. Taku had his eyes locked on Kisho. The obsidian irises cut through the air and watched as Kisho clambered up the stairs. Renamon bounded up the stairs her body sleeked back and her frame cutting through the air like a golden arrow. Guilmon plodded up the stairs; the metal steps groaned slightly as the red dragon crushed his scaly feet on the metal. Agumon was already sitting next to his partner, Jiro. The blonde haired boy was watching the event intently. His eyes tried to follow the ocean of beige below. Jiro's brother, another blonde boy, though much older, was standing with his hands on the guard rails. Renamon made a large bound and the kitsune landed gently next to a long haired girl, her partner, Ren. The girl was biting her lip as she watched the Order members shuffle below.

Kisho swept around the corner of the steps onto the chain-linked balcony and ran to the other children. His chest rose and fell as his lungs desperately tried to drag in more air to appease the boy's screaming muscles.

"What…is…going on?" Kisho huffed between long drags of air.

Taku lifted an eyebrow and frowned slightly. "It seems Arkadimon is making his move."

"Well?" Kisho asked as he looked at the others.

"He's attacking a place called the Citadel of Light," The older blonde, Haru replied. The boy's blue eyes glanced upward and caught Kisho's eyes. "They got an SOS about ten minutes ago from some of the security forces there…whoever Arkadimon's with they are strong."

"Does he really need anyone else?" Kisho asked irreverently with a quirked grin. The other children looked at him and his smirk faded. "I mean, he's really strong as it is…"

"As far as we know, Arkadimon is still susceptible to the Digital World's defenses," Taku replied as he turned his head and looked at the screen.

"The Citadel of Light is where the Digital World's defenses are maintained," Jiro's voice rose up from the boy's sitting position. The child scooted back and stood up. "It's also the place with the highest concentration of Holy power, if Arkadimon was trying to absorb Holy energy this would be the place to attack."

"It would be killing two birds with one stone," Renamon said in an icy tone, "Not only would he neutralize the control of the Digital World's defenses but if anyone were to resume control over those defenses, he'd not be affected by them…due the large amount of Holy energy he'd have absorbed…"

"We have to do something," Ren said quietly, "Can you imagine fighting Arkadimon if he got that power? We can barely keep him entertained as he is…"

"Children!" Gennai's voice erupted suddenly from behind the group of Digi-destined. The children leapt with a start and spun around. The young man before them had spiky brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His face was soft and a playful smirk danced across his face. "Are you ready? Arkadimon's made his move; it's time for you to make your counterstrike."

Gennai's eyes fell on Kisho. The brunette didn't look up at the man, though he could feel the man's eyes boring into his skull.

"Why are you looking at me?" Kisho said sharply.

"Because, you're usually the one to raise everyone up for battle," Gennai said softly.

"I'm not their leader; they can make their own choices…." Kisho hissed quietly.

"But they choose to follow you," The reply wafted into Kisho's ears. "Whether you like it or not, they are depending on you."

"I don't want to…be the one…" Kisho said angrily. He lifted his head and glared into Gennai's soft blue eyes. "I don't want to be the one that gets everyone hurt!"

"Then make good choices," Gennai said in a strong, but gentle tone. "It's that simple. Now, are we going to go and stop Arkadimon…or are we going to watch?"

Kisho gritted his teeth. He felt like he was being bullied. He hated being bullied. He hated being pushed into a corner. He looked back at his friends. They were all looking at him longingly, waiting for the words to leave Kisho's lips. He looked down at Dorimon; the little digimon was looking intently up at Kisho with his golden eyes. Kisho closed his eyes. He couldn't let his friends down; they were all he had in the Digital World.

"Ok…let's go…" Kisho said sternly. His voice didn't waver or shift. It was just calm and steady.

"Wonderful!" Gennai cheered, clapping his hands together. "We have a teleporter pad waiting for us…"

"Teleporter pad? You mean like that thing you used on us when we first got here?" Ren asked; her face was a little pale.

"Yes, it's the fastest way, we have a connecting teleporter near the citadel," Gennai nodded with a smile.

"I hate those things…they feel like they turn you inside out and then toss you back together…" Ren snorted as she looked at the ground.

"Well, you are making a side step into the Data World…so you are decomposed into data streams…" Gennai said quietly putting a finger to the side of his cheek.

"Don't say another word…" Ren stuck her fingers in her ears and stuck out her tongue, "Lalalalala I can't hear you…."

Haru and Taku shook their heads and walked up behind Kisho. The two boys put their hands on Kisho's shoulders. The brunette looked at the black haired boy and the blonde boy. Haru smiled, "If you don't want to go…"

"No, we need to do this," Kisho said quietly. "It's not about what I want to do….some things just need to be done."

"If we're going to face off against Arkadimon, I'm going to have to digivolve," the little gray digimon in Kisho's arms chirped as he leapt down. Dorimon hopped in a circle and smiled up at Kisho.

Kisho reached down to a smooth device that hung at the hip of his jeans. His fingers closed around the device and he was ready to unclip it when Jiro walked past him. His steps were slow and methodical. He seemed paler than usual; in fact his skin looked as if it was glowing. His blonde hair shimmered with its own luminance. His head turned to Kisho and his eyes were sharp even the brown irises were bright. A smile played across the boy's face and then he slowly turned back to Dorimon. The little boy knelt down and slipped his hands down and gently lifted the little digimon.

"I was worried, Child of Courage," whispered Jiro quietly as he stroked Dorimon's coarse fur and rubbed the little digimon's triangular ears.

Gennai's eyes widened and his face tightened for a second before he quickly relaxed and tried to put on a calm face.

"Jiro, what is wrong with you?" Haru narrowed his eyes.

"It's that burning sensation again!" DemiDevimon whimpered loudly as he wriggled on Taku's head.

"You feel it, too…?" Taku said as he rubbed his arms. It was like poison ivy was covering his body.

"He's been acting weird since he left Kisho in the bedroom earlier," Agumon admitted as the little tyrannosaur walked up behind Jiro and put his clawed hand on the boy's back.

"That energy is here…again," Renamon whispered. The fox's golden fur bristled and she shivered slightly. "It's like I want to digivolve but can't…"

"I feel kind of fuzzy…" Guilmon whispered quietly as the dragon scratched at his white colored abdomen.

"Poor child," whispered Jiro as he looked into Dorimon's eyes. "First born, may the light guide your path," Jiro placed his pointer finger between Dorimon's eyes. Jiro tilted his head and smiled. "It is done…"

Dorimon's body shimmered with golden light. The little ball of coarse lavender fur grew and changed shaped. The little, purple furred dragon that remained from the light shook its rounded head. The little, red triangle in the middle of the digimon's forehead glowed bright red. The long, puffy tail of the digimon swept back and forth. The tiny, webbed wings on the digimon's back twitched slightly, as it looked down at its small clawed hands.

"I…digivolved…" the digimon gasped quietly as he looked down at his body.

"DORUmon…" Kisho jumped forward and dropped to his knees. His arms swung around the fox-dragon. Kisho turned his head back to Jiro. The blonde haired boy was sitting back a pleased smile was on the child's soft, pink lips. "How?"

"Sometimes, it's just the Hand of God…" said Gennai quietly. The children looked up at the man as he inclined his head slightly, "Now, come we have work to do."

The children nodded in unison and followed the man as he walked away.

888

The streamers of red, blue and yellow light swirled as the beam reconstructed their bodies. A cold tingling sensation rippled over their skin. The digi-destined stumbled forward. Gennai smirked as the children rubbed their arms.

"Still getting use to…" Gennai started congenially. His eyes hardened as he glared upward. The children turned their heads as they followed the young man's azure eyes.

A huge, castle hung in the sky. It was shaped like an unbloomed rose bud. Its masonry was constructed of cold white brick. Spires curled around the body of the palace like closed petals. The castle seemed to glow with a holy light. The palace shook suddenly. There was a loud crack of thunder and the chunks of brick erupted from the building. Smoke rolled out of the newly created orifice made by the explosion.

"Hurry up, let's go!" DORUmon shouted as the kangaroo-like fox bounded forward.

"Wait!" Kisho shouted as he leapt forward and grasped DORUmon by his shoulders. Kisho's small fingers moved through DORUmon's coarse, lavender fur. "There's something…"

"So, that blip we detected…was Arkadimon…" Gennai sighed quietly as he walked forward.

"Blip? Blip, what blip?" Taku shouted loudly.

"About two days ago we had a massive dark energy burst," whispered Gennai as he rummaged in the long, beige robes he was wearing. His hands disappeared into the pockets of his robes. His hands reappeared holding a spy scope. He flicked his wrist and the short, black tube extended into a long, smooth tube. Gennai lifted the scope to his right eye.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Haru growled as the blonde pushed next to Gennai, trying to burrow an icy, blue stare into the side of Gennai's face. Gennai glanced sidelong toward the blonde and quickly snapped the scope shut.

"The burst only lasted ten minutes before disappearing…" Gennai whispered. "Plus it appeared way in the southern quadrant near the Zip Sea…"

"So what's out there?" DemiDevimon growled from Taku's head. The black winged bat unfurled its wings.

"Daemon's elemental guards…" Gennai slipped the spy scope back into his pockets.

"Huh?" Ren squinted her eyes and could make out two forms underneath the floating castle. "Who the heck is Daemon?"

Haru sighed and shook his head, "Daemon is that monster that Gennai said Luc…" The digimon winced sharply and Haru coughed and looked down, "err, that angel digimon defeated…"

"He had amassed quite an army, there are still a number of his minions alive today, who escaped the cleanup process," Gennai said quietly as he cast his eyes over the digi-destined and their digimon.

"Are these a group of the 'survivors'?" Taku asked as he looked at the two specks of color, one red and one green.

"Not really, we were forced to deactivate the elemental guardians, but we couldn't destroy them," Gennai sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "So we locked them in a vault in one of Daemon's labs on the Zip Sea…hoping that the thick walls and the defense mechanisms that Daemon had created would keep ruffians and the like out…"

"But being one of Daemon's creations Arkadimon was able to elude the defenses and blow open the vault," Kisho growled under his breath.

"More than that…," Gennai whispered, "since Arkadimon was actually constructed from mutated strands of Daemon's digital DNA….he was able to activate the rejuvenation program, bringing the guardians back online…"

"You mean Arkadimon is actually biologically related to this Daemon thing?" Haru gulped loudly.

"So Daemon is like Arkadimon's dad," Jiro whispered as he looked up at Gennai.

"Arkadimon was created to protect Daemon, and if worse came to worse, become a vessel for Daemon's consciousness, until Daemon could reconstruct his old body," Gennai lowered his hands to his sides and clenched his fists, "Arkadimon has two purposes, the first purpose is to do whatever is in his power to protect Daemon…to get Daemon back if he is captured or detained…his second purpose, in the case of his first purpose being unattainable, is to free Kurayami…probably in the hopes that the reborn god would free or help rebirth Daemon in gratitude…"

Another explosion rumbled through the air. Smoke was twisting leisurely around the 'petal's' of the palace. Its white glow slowly became an ashen gray. A third and then fourth explosion pulsed through the air.

"We don't have time for a history lesson," Renamon grumbled, "The Citadel of Light is under attack."

The golden fox leapt forward. Ren ran after the sleek vixen as the vulpine creature gracefully bounded down the hill they were standing on.

"Renamon digivolve to…" The fox glowed as the light of digivolution swept over the fox's body and then a second burst of light overtook the first light. A sleek black dragon with wide, crimson wings pushed through the light and sliced through the air close the ground. The curved, yet rigid form of the dragon swept up into the sky as the dragon rushed forward. "…Cyberdramon!"

"Guilmon…let's go," Haru clenched his fists.

"Right, partner," the dragon nodded sharply with a smile on its reddish face. "Guilmon digivolve to…" The blonde haired, blue eyed boy held up his digivice. It beeped sharply. Guilmon was washed with golden energy. The silhouette of the dragon grew slightly. Haru reached up and grasped the small crest on his neck with the cross engraved on it. The silhouette continued to shimmer and the long necked shadow shrunk down into a humanesque form. The light faded and a billowing blue cape flapped in the breeze. Bronze armor covered Guilmon's new body. Long fingers and toes ended his hands and toes. "Grademon!"

"DemiDevimon, get ready," Taku said as he pulled his digivice from his jeans' hem.

"Ready! DemiDevimon digivolve to…" DemiDevimon nodded as the spherical bat flew upward. Taku thrust his hand forward and DemiDevimon's body shimmered. The bat wings grew longer. His body extended downward and became muscular with thick legs. Muscular arms flexed over his chest where a tattoo of a pair of crossed swords were painted. His scaly, gray skin tensed as the muscles bristled underneath. "ExVeemon!"

"Agumon!" Jiro chirped as the blonde's brown eyes turned cheerfully to the yellow skinned tyrannosaur. The little tyrannosaur nodded happily and flexed his arms as Jiro held up his digivice.

"Agumon digivolve to…" The dinosaur exploded with a bright light. His body lengthened and grew taller. Agumon's muscles toned. Golden armor plates covered his shoulders, hips, shins and forearms. A golden helmet morphed over his head with two sharply pointed eyebrow sprouts shooting off his brow. "…Magnamon…"

Jiro and Taku stood next to one another and clasped their free hands together. The tags and crests on their chests glowed white and black and fired forward as ExVeemon and Magnamon came into close proximity to one another.

"Magnamon…." The golden knight shimmered with a holy light.

"ExVeemon…" The gray dragon was covered in a dark shadow.

The light and shadow twisted around the two digimon and then fired into a single point.

"DNA digivolve to…." Six draconic wings unfurled from the new digimon's back. Half were black, half were white. Glowing, golden armor covered the dragon's murky, maize flesh. Black, spiked pads curled over the dragon's shoulder. The platinum, right gauntlet had a black spike; the left arm's gauntlet was black with a piercingly white spike protruding from it. An onyx helmet covered the dragon's head. "…Paildramon!"

Haru and Taku turned to Kisho. The two boys watched as the brunette fingered his digivice tentatively. Taku walked forward.

"You going to use it, or just rub your finger over it?" the black haired boy said as he reached down and forced Kisho's fingers to clutch the device. Taku's dark eyes looked into the lighter, brown eyes of Kisho. "We can't work without you…just like you came back for me…I'm not going to let you disappear into your own fears…I don't care if I have to drag you back kicking and screaming…"

Kisho's brown eyes softened even more and a coy smile played across the brunette's face. He turned his head and looked down at DORUmon. "Well, let's do it…"

The kangaroo fox nodded eagerly, "I'm ready when you are, Kisho!"

"I'm ready now!" Kisho pulled his hand up.

"DORUmon digivolve to…" The kangaroo fox grew. His small wings on his back spread into massive, black, fur-lined airfoils. His arms grew and his legs thickened. His tail became more streamlined and swished silently in the air. The red triangle adorning his forehead shimmered bright crimson. "DORUgamon….DORUgamon digivolve to…." DORUgamon's body changed again as his neck elongated. His wings slit into six, silver coated appendages. Golden ringlets jangled at the tips of the wings. Crimson fur covered the dragon's body, black stripes swept up and down DORUgamon's changing body and tail. A horn ripped from the dragon's snout, curling upward like a saber. "…DORUgremon!"

"We have to hurry, Ren's nearly there," Haru said as he sat on Grademon's shoulder.

His hand tightly grasping one of Grademon's shoulder spikes. Grademon leapt forward in an elegant bound; his cloak sweeping gracefully behind him. Paildramon clutched his partners against his chest and flapped his wings taking flight.

"Gennai…would like to ride with us?" Kisho asked quietly looking at the back of the man's head.

"No, I think I'll walk," Gennai whispered without turning back to Kisho.

"DORUgremon, let's go," Kisho called up as he ran toward the dragon. He leapt on as the red furred digimon unfurled his wings. DORUgremon rushed over Gennai's head. His brown hair shifted as the breeze twisted through it.

"If Hikari has given the boy a blessing…" Gennai whispered quietly as he watched DORUgremon turn into a reddish blob in the distance. "Then this should go much better than I had hoped…"

888

"Brother…it's the ones the Master said would come," A theatrically voice digimon said quietly to a bulky, red armored beast standing next to him. "I suspect they think they'll interfere in the Master's plan, hmmm, Suijinmon?"

Suijinmon was mammoth, and with its crimson armor; the mechanical digimon looked like a walking fortress. Its body was covered in thick, red metal. Its lower body was like that of a rhino, with four sturdy legs and hoofed feet. Its body was stout and red armor covered every inch, even the legs had the metal fitted around them. The stout four-legged body, though, was not the end. The rest of the creature extended upward into a human-like torso. The torso was skinnier at the waist and then spread upward into broad shoulders. The head was neckless and was like a bead attached to the read of the torso. Just like the lower body, the upper torso was covered top to bottom with red armor; in fact the only part of the digimon's torso not covered by the crimson armor was the waist where the hip joints forced the armor to cleave.

The upper torso's arms started with huge, round shoulders, enveloped the reddish chrome. A pair of huge cannons was attached to the apexes of the two shoulders. Each shoulder also had a cannon that protruded forward from the body of the shoulder joint. From the shoulders a pair of arms stretched down, like a gorilla's, the arms reached to the ground but the arms ended in hooves. The arms were not covered in the crimson armor like the rest of the body was. The arms were constructed of naked, silvery-gray steal. Cords and tubes twisted up and down the thick, tree trunk-like arms of the digimon.

The digimon turned its head slowly to the one standing next to him, "Will we get to smash them, Brother Fuujinmon?"

"Of course, brother, of course," chuckled the other digimon.

Fuujinmon was on the diagnostic opposite from Suijinmon. Light green metal covered the lithe digimon's frame. Fuujinmon's armor looked like papier-mâché compared to Suijinmon's thick armor plating. Fuujinmon was much more human in shape. Fuujinmon had a sleek design, slightly wider at the shoulders than at the stomach and then again slightly wider at the hips again. Compared to Suijinmon's thick, rhinoceros like legs, Fuujinmon's legs were mere matchsticks. The emerald armored matchsticks of Fuujinmon's legs ended in a three toed foot, two toes pointed forward and the third extended backward to give rear support.

Fuujinmon's head was caste like a human's head, save for the flourishes of a crest at the rear of Fuujinmon's helmet. A huge golden arch rose upward from the digimon's shoulder, reaching from the right shoulder the left. The back of the arch was serrated but the forward part of the arch was smooth like a blade. From Fuujinmon's shoulder, sleek arms dropped down. The upper arms were covered with the same emerald armor the smoothly covered the rest of his body. Fuujinmon's lower arms were mechanical sheathes for a pair of orange, glowing energy blades.

"Brother Fuujinmon, are they close enough?" Suijinmon asked eagerly in a grunting, childish tone.

Fuujinmon sighed quietly and glanced at Suijinmon, "So impatient, brother…"

"It has been so long since we were allowed to smash…" whimpered Suijinmon loudly. "I want to smash something, Brother Fuujinmon."

"But it's because that's been such a long time that we should savor this chance, brother," Fuujinmon said with an air of education. "We don't know how long it will be before we are allowed to…" Fuujinmon stopped speaking as an emerald burst of dimensional energy sliced through the air towards him. Fuujinmon narrowed his eyes. A gust of wind spun into existence a foot in front of his face. The emerald blast of energy halted instantly, one foot in front of Fuujinmon, trapped in the field of wind. Fuujinmon arched an eyebrow and chuckled. "How quaint…"

The lithe, emerald armored digimon slammed his eyes shut and the burst of green energy was sliced apart by wind shear. Suijinmon's bead like head turned and his eyes met that of Fuujinmon.

"What was that, brother?" asked the red armored digimon.

"I believe that was the commencement of aggressions, brother," replied Fuujinmon with a gleeful upswing in tone. His eyes scanned the skies "They must have a Cyberdramon with them…interesting…ah…there it is…"

"Does that mean…?" Suijinmon shifted in his armor causing it to creak and clatter as he moved, first his left leg then his right. "Does it, brother, does it?"

"Hehe, I'll even give you the first shot, dear brother," chuckled Fuujinmon as his eyes stayed trained upward. A black dragon was wheeling in the air. Fuujinmon lifted his arm and point the tip of his energy blade at the dragon. "There brother, your target…the one that has fired the first shot in this war-game of ours…"

"Oh boy! First shot, first shot, I love the smell of the first shot…the ozone is so fresh!" Suijinmon looked up at the dragon. He measured its movements as the dragon's crimson wings twitched and tilted to match the air currents. The heavier cannons at the top of Suijinmon's shoulders whined softly as the air started to waiver in front of the barrels' openings. Static discharges skipped over the cannon's opening. A sizzling, buzzing sound snapped and crackled through the air as the cannon's whine cut upward piercing the air like a knife. "What wonderful sounds, the sounds of war; the sounds of building destruction…this shall be marvelous, brother!"

"We shall see, brother, we shall see," Fuujinmon mused quietly as he cast his eyes downward. Two more dragons were coming, one was red the other was a motley crew of colors from golden armor to black and white to murky yellow. A bronze swordsman was running towards him. The digimon's swords were drawn and crossed; its cape gallantly flew behind him. "We shall have much fun this day…"

"What of big brother?" Suijinmon asked suddenly as his cannon whined loudly. A dome of light was pulsing at the end of the guns.

"He's having excessive fun with the inhabitants of the citadel," Fuujinmon said disregarding the red digimon's worries. "After all they are the ones with the real power…plus, he has the master with him…he's in a place of honor…"

"Oh goodie, then that means we don't have to save any of them for big brother!" Suijinmon giggled and he nodded. The cannons at the top of his shoulders hummed as the hydraulic systems swiveled them up and around. Suijinmon hummed quietly as he watched a red cross float across the body of the black dragon that was flying above. "I see you…and now…" The crimson cross flickered and then held steady, "I got you, too! MUGEN CANNON!"

A pair of energy bolts exploded from the cannons as they rocketed toward the black dragon. A long streaming, comet's tail burned after the forward, thrusting bulb of energy. Ozone burned the olfactory systems of the two mechanical digimon. The fringes of the sky darkened as the zenith of the heavens exploded into a flare of light rivaling the sun's preeminence.

"You missed…" sighed Fuujinmon quietly as he looked into the blazing whiteness of the explosion. He watched as a black dot nose dived into the earth. "Poor, Brother Suijinmon, all brute and no finesse…"

"I didn't miss! I didn't miss! It came to the ground, I didn't miss!" Suijinmon retorted in a tantrum.

"Tsk, but brother if you had hit it correctly, it would've vaporized…you missed by a good three and a half meters…" explained Fuujinmon quietly.

"I did that on purpose!" grumbled Suijinmon loudly. "I wanted it to keep resisting…I want to play!"

"Now, now, you know what big brother would say if he heard you were playing on the job…" chastised Fuujinmon as the sleek digimon put its heavily armored arms to its side. "Allow me to show you…"

With a blur of motion and a burst of wind, Fuujinmon was gone. An emerald streak sliced past the bronze swordsman. The golden tinted digimon didn't even respond, taking five bounding steps forward before arching backward. The blue cape was cut free from his body and flew into the air. Suijinmon's sensors then picked something up. The swordsman was carrying another creature, not a digimon, not an Order member. It was carrying a bona fide human. The human was small and seemed to have crashed to the ground with the blade bearing digimon. Now that he realized it, he noticed other humans. One was crouching next to the dragon that he'd shot down. There were two riding the odd looking Paildramon that was gliding in the air. Another was riding the red dragon that was gliding in the distance.

"Humans…what luck…a rare…nay, a never before experienced treasure!" Suijinmon's forward cannons hummed to life. They were smaller than the upper guns, much more precise. "To be a digimon that has destroyed a human…a real human…"

"Wait brother…" A gust of wind blew into Suijinmon's face. The red armored digimon staggered backward as Fuujinmon's lithe figure vibrated into existence, the emerald armor glistening. "You noticed the humans…didn't you, you sly dog, you were going to take the glory for yourself…"

"No, Brother Fuujinmon, no…" Suijinmon gulped guiltily, as he flustered, powering down his forward gunnery.

"It is ok, brother, I was thinking the same…" chuckled Fuujinmon as he turned to the digimon he'd just fell. "This is truly exciting!"

"Oh, let me get that one by the dragon…please!" whimpered Suijinmon as he turned, pointing his smaller, mid-shoulder guns at the tiny speck next to the black fleshed dragon.

"Then I shall deal the final blow to the one by that swordsman," Fuujinmon said with a sharp nod. A gust of wind swirled upward and Fuujinmon had disappeared again.

Suijinmon sang softly to himself as he charged his cannons, "Human, human, I got you. I'll burn you and cook you...Human, human, I see you. You crouched there afraid, you ready to be ripped, torn and filleted…"

888

It took seconds. One explosion knocked Cyberdramon out cold. One slice and a blur of wind dropped Grademon like a bag of potatoes. Ren was crouched crying. Haru looked unconscious. Kisho felt a chill cut up his arms, freezing the blood in his veins as they traced their way back to his heart.

Once again he'd led his friends into pain, put them at risk, and made them fight an unwinnable fight. He curled his fingers into DORUgremon's fur, tufts of crimson poking out between his fingers. The big red digimon was still below. His weapons were glowing. They were pointed towards Ren. Kisho's body started to shudder. He was a split second from shouting for DORUgremon to dive for Ren when he saw something green streaking toward Haru. It was the other one, the thin stick-like one. Kisho gulped, he had to choose between Ren and Haru. He was closer to Haru, but Ren was just as important as Haru. He bit his lip. He didn't have time.

"DORUGREMON, HARU!" shouted Kisho loudly. "GO! NOW! WE NEED TO GO DOWN AND SAVE HARU!"

The dragon acted instantly and put its wings and bulk to work with gravity to cannonball down toward the ground. Kisho twisted his head back and sighed as he watched Paildramon sweep in front of Ren. Kisho turned back to see a blurry, green image ricochet off of the air in front of DORUgremon and fly backward.

DORUgremon dropped down in front of Grademon and Haru. Kisho leapt down and ran to Haru. He had a cut on his cheek. A crimson slice swept up from under his right ear to the tip of his right nostril. Grademon was worse off. Seven or eight long gashes were covering his chest and stomach. One of his shoulder spikes were cleaved clean off and his cape was gone completely. The swordsman was out cold. Not a muscle twitched. Only a very thin, rasp belied the fact that Grademon was in fact alive at all, but even that was a slow, torture whisper of life.

"Hello there, human child, DORUgremon. My, there aren't many like you are there?" Kisho looked up and saw that a thin, emerald chromed digimon was standing a few meters in front of him. Its mechanical arms were held to its side and the orange blades that jutted from the arms shimmered and flickered with a soft hum. Its head was cocked to one side. "You dove right in front of me. I could've cut you up into fine strips of lunch meat…in other words…that wasn't a wise move…"

"You were going to hurt my friend," Kisho replied in a tone that made his reason sound so obvious that it was as if it were the same kind of reason as eating because you're hungry.

"Child, your 'friend' is already mostly defeated; why not end his time now? He is no use to you now," replied the metal digimon quietly. "Don't worry I or my brother will get to you soon enough…Now move aside…"

"No, we aren't letting you hurt Ren and Haru! Or Grademon and Cyberdramon!" Kisho shouted loudly. His eyes glanced over to where Cyberdramon was lying.

"Do you think you can stop us, hmm? Your paltry group of Ultimate digimon is nothing to us," The digimon replied quietly, "We're part of the elite guard of Daemon. I am Fuujinmon of the Wind…" The emerald digimon thrust one of its arms back, "that insane force of raw power back there is Suijinmon of Water…and our big brother is Raijinmon of Thunder! We are the Elemental Guardians…you should treat us like gods…"

"I don't see gods…" Kisho whispered. "I just see a group of overly powerful bullies beating on victims that are already beaten….and attempting to hurt those that are defenseless…"

Kisho growled softly but his stewing anger was sharply cut off by a loud explosion and a flash of light from his left. Kisho snapped his head to the left and saw Agumon, DemiDevimon, Renamon, Ren, Jiro and Taku sprawled out on the ground in a smoking crater. Kisho looked forward and saw Suijinmon slowly marching forward on thick, sturdy legs.

"Kisho…we can't just stand here…" DORUgremon growled quietly. "We have to fight…"

"Right," Kisho nodded. "Let's give 'em hell!"

"Metal ME…." DORUgremon spread his wings to attack but he didn't even get to finish his call when his wings were cut from his body dropping like sheets of tinfoil to the ground.

DORUgremon screeched as the he arched back. Kisho spun around as a wind rushed past him. Fuujinmon was standing behind him. The metallic green digimon's feet were on either side of Grademon's head.

"Give us hell, eh?" Fuujinmon chuckled quietly. "I have my own version of the netherworld. Let us just say it's much gustier…" One of Fuujinmon's arms morphed so that it turned into normal, robotic, silver arm with wiry fingers, almost like a thinner version of the thick forearms of Suijinmon. The hand had three fingers, two actual fingers and then an opposable thumb. Fuujinmon twisted his hand a curling swirling ball of wind formed in the palm of his hand. The wind spun faster and faster until sparks twisted along the wind lines. The sparks turned into flames. The streams of flames followed the wind lines. "Allow me to show you a fraction of this power of mine…Malt Cyclone!"

Fuujinmon twisted his hand downward and the flaming wind spun into a vortex that jabbed into Grademon's chest. The bronze swordsman's chest jolted upward as the flaming tornado smashed through his armor into his thoracic cavity. Grademon glowed brightly and reverted to Guilmon.

"Why'd you do that?" Kisho screamed loudly.

"To prove my point, you can't stop us, so you should just stand in line, patiently awaiting your demise…" Fuujinmon replied. "Don't be a hero…don't make a fuss…be a gentlemen and respectably wait for your end…"

"Mugen Cannon!" Kisho spun around to see two energy contrails twisting toward him from Suijinmon's cannons.

DORUgremon was on his front knees. The wounds from his wing cutting tainted the black striping of his body with red. The dragon lifted its head. It was his fault they were all going to die. He was going to get them all killed. It was his fault, they shouldn't have forgiven him.

"No…" Kisho shouted loudly. "I'm not going to stand by and let you just wait to kill me! I'm going down fighting! DORUGREMON!"

"Gotta fight…" hissed DORUgremon. "Bloody…Tower!"

A twisting wave of crimson erupted out of the ground. The cannon pulses cut through the tower. Kisho felt his body flung, he felt the heat. He felt his body crash against the ground and felt the earth scratch and scrape at his skin. He could feel his bones bend but not break under the pressure. All through this he could only worry about three things, DORUgremon, Haru and Guilmon. He lifted his eyes. Dirt and grit burned and rubbed against his eyes but he had to look. Guilmon was laying on the ground his body beaten; the little dragon looked like a jellyfish washed up on shore. Guilmon's partner wasn't much better. Burns and cuts scoured his body. Bits of dirt were imbedded in Haru's skin. His blonde hair was matted with red and brown as blonde and dirt had been pressed against his yellow hair. Kisho turned his head. DORUgremon was lying in front of him. The dragon was breathing heavily but conscious. DORUgremon attempted to stand but he fell back down to his chest.

"Can't…give up…" hissed Kisho quietly as he crawled up to where DORUgremon was laying. "Gotta fight…gotta protect the others…"

"It's over…" Kisho lifted his head. He felt woozy. It was like someone had put him in a clothes' drier. The world tipped back and forth like a seesaw. He could tell though that it was Fuujinmon. The figure continued to walk forward. "Just curl up and go to sleep, human, your friends are finished; your digimon friend is barely able to stay awake. Accept death graciously; stop this difficult path to destruction, make things easy on yourself, on your friends. Let death cloak your pain and give you release…"

"I'm…not…running away…" Kisho said quietly as he lifted his head. He was pretty sure his head was bleeding. The left side of his vision was bathed in a red light. "My friends…need me to be strong…to protect them…I'm not going to run…not now…not when they need me most…"

He felt something warm on his chest. Kisho lifted his arm, with much effort and pain, it felt like he was cutting his muscles off of his bones. He thought that Fuujinmon was running him through with one of his Malt Cyclones, but the warmth wasn't painful. Kisho fingered the warmth between his thumb and pointer finger. Slowly he lifted the warmth up to his face. An orange glow filled his vision. A shape of a sun cut through the background glow with a piercing, tangerine light. It was the crest of courage. It was glowing. Kisho smiled quietly and then a bubble rose up from his stomach and he started to giggle and then he fell backward laughing loudly as the orange glow rushed upward.

"Laughing at your death, people will remember you," Fuujinmon's voice lanced in and out of his hearing.

"DORUgremon…we have to try to digivolve again…please…don't be angry…I hope it works," whispered Kisho between giggles. "Take the crest's power…and digivolve to protect the others…"

Kisho slowly closed his eyes. A soft giggle hiccupping in his chest as the warmth grew on his chest.

888

Fuujinmon narrowed his eyes. The child was beat. He was in beaten to a pulp. The brown hair was matted in blood from a wound he got when Suijinmon's cannon had thrown him. His arms and legs were bruised. His body was just a fragment above solidified gelatin, and yet he had the strength and will to crawl next to his friend the DORUgremon. The human had lifted his head up and now even though his body was exhausted and he had collapsed onto his back; he was laughing. The human was laughing, giggling and murmuring about power.

An orange glow was pulsing around the human now. Fuujinmon wasn't sure what was going on, but he wasn't afraid of this broken fool or its half dead digimon ally. The laughter though, the unnatural, eerie, death knell laughter was slowly unsettling him. It was slightly unnerving. Fuujinmon narrowed his eyes and watched as the orange glow shrunk down into a ball of light. It glided over to the half dead DORUgremon.

That's when it happened. Fuujinmon leapt backward. His sensors screamed loudly that an incredible energy field was in front of him. Fuujinmon retreated quickly and leapt backward.

"Brother, what is going on?" Fuujinmon turned his head. Suijinmon was next to him. "There is a great…power…"

"The child…something is happening, Brother Suijinmon," Fuujinmon replied quietly, "The power is great…"

"DORUgremon….Mega digivolve to…" The DORUgremon roared loudly as orange light swarmed around the dragon. Blue tracers of energy cut around the orange light twisting and merging. The dragon's body melted away in the energy and reformed. The light faded away revealing a large, black knight. The armor on the knight's body was thick and black with gold trim where the plates met. The thick muscular arms had huge, golden bracelets around the wrists with kanji engraved into them. The leg armor was much like the arms' save there were no rings on the ankles. Large shoulder plates curved around the knight's shoulder, dwarfing the digimon's head. Wings were sealed away in a pair of metallic wing covers. A platinum cloak rolled on the wind behind the knight. The knight lifted his hand and opened it to the sky. A light exploded from his hand and molded into the shape of a broadsword. The digimon then sliced the sword downward, "…Alphamon!"

"A Mega digimon…" Fuujinmon sighed and looked back to Suijinmon, "Well, we may actually be able to have a little more fun after all."

"Then we'll get to finish the rest of them, right?" Suijinmon asked impatiently.

"Aye, brother…" Fuujinmon nodded with a smile, "but first we have to eliminate this…let us go to work…"

The winds rushed forward as Fuujinmon charged. The world blurred by as the wind whistled past his head. The black knight grew in his field of vision. Fuujinmon sliced upward with his energy blade. Fuujinmon's body jarred; it felt like his entire being was being shook. Fuujinmon looked at his arm. His blade was pressed against Alphamon's sword. Alphamon looked coldly at Fuujinmon and thrust forward. Fuujinmon staggered backward as the force of his slice was unevenly thrust back at him.

"Mugen Cannon!" Suijinmon instantly retorted as Fuujinmon leapt back in temporary defeat. The cannons on Suijinmon's shoulder fired releasing two comets of raw energy toward the knight. Alphamon raised his free hand, placing the palm out.

An emerald aura glowed like a disk on the knight's palm. "Digitalize of Soul!"

A beam of green light sliced through Suijinmon's cannon fire. The red armored digimon was smashed in the chest by the emerald stream of light. Suijinmon's thick legs quaked as his heavy hoofs skid through the earth backward.

"Malt Cyclone!" Fuujinmon sliced an arm forward forming a twisting blast of super heated wind. The tornado spun laterally smashing into the knight's chest. Alphamon staggered backward. Fuujinmon turned to Suijinmon, "Now, Brother! NOW!"

"Accel Arm!" Suijinmon lifted one of his arms. He then smashed it into the ground. An energized shockwave rolled through the earth. Alphamon, already staggering, was knocked to the ground as the shockwave threw his feet into the air. The knight crashed to the ground and rolled.

"Critical Arm!" Fuujinmon extended one of his energy blades, its orange color changed to dark lavender.

The blade lengthened and became more solid. Fuujinmon then charged forward, slicing his new blade through the air effortlessly. Alphamon was trying to stand when Fuujinmon's blade smacked against his armor, thrusting the knight back to the ground. Fuujinmon rushed in front of Alphamon and swung one of his powerful, runner's legs around delivering an earth shaking round house kick to the knight's flank. Alphamon arched into the air and crashed to the ground.

"Mugen Cannon!" Suijinmon swung his upper cannons around on their turrets and opened fire. The ground burst into molten earth as the cannon vomited volley after volley of plasma at the area where the knight had been lying.

Fuujinmon scoffed quietly and turned to where the brown haired human was lying. He walked up to the human and looked down at its beaten face. Streams of blood trailed down the human's face. Bruises and scratches cut back and forth across the child's cheeks. The child's eyes were closed and his frame was limp. The human was silent now.

"See, all this effort and you still can't stop us, but at least you've stopped laughing," Fuujinmon whispered hissingly at the boy. Fuujinmon lifted an energy blade up. "Allow me to save you the pain of knowing you let your friends down…by finishing you first."

Fuujinmon brought the blade up above his head. He snorted and looked down at the child. He was about to strike when the earth shook. Fuujinmon turned his head and looked in the direction the vibrations were coming from. The Citadel of Light was pulsing with light. Streams of white shot from the windows and holes.

"Fuujinmon…I can detect big brother; he's hurt!" Suijinmon's voice shouted through the blazing light.

"You're truly a child of destiny…" Fuujinmon glowered down at the human. He looked up at the shadow of Suijinmon, "Let us go…"

"And not kill a human?" Suijinmon's voice yelped.

"There is no time…you wouldn't wish to anger big brother, now would you?" Fuujinmon replied as he leapt into the air.

"No, no…we better go!" Suijinmon shouted as Fuujinmon proceeded into the blur of light.

888

"I checked…the stabilizers are still working, the palace won't collapse…yet," A voice cut into his head.

Kisho blinked. His vision was dark. He blinked again. Shadows formed and defined themselves against the darkness. One was thin and shaped like a human, the other was bulkier. A dagger of fear cut into his heart.

"Ah, Kisho," the voice rang in his ears distorted by painful stabs against his head. "You're awake…"

Kisho shook his head slowly and blinked. He winced as another sharp pained sliced across his temple. He opened his eyes and the darkness faded a little. He sighed quietly as he recognized the beige robes. Kisho looked over to the silhouette next to Gennai. The shadow shifted and cut away from the rest of the darkness that seemed to permeate the area they were in. It was a heavily armored knight.

"Who…who is that?" Kisho grumbled as he rubbed his head.

"You don't even recognize your partner?" Gennai said with a chuckle. "Well, I suppose I should introduce you then…" Gennai patted the knight's arm. "This is Alphamon. He's a Mega digimon and one of the great powers of the Digital World; he's a member of the Royal Knights."

"You mean…it worked?" Kisho said quietly as he rubbed his shoulders, "We beat Fuujinmon and Suijinmon?"

"No…they were forced to retreat due to other interferences," Gennai said quietly as he stood up, "The other digi-destined have awoken. They are waiting for us…"

"Are they ok? They aren't hurt are they?" Kisho asked as he staggered to his feet.

"They are fine, for the most part," Gennai smiled quietly and took Kisho's hand gently. Alphamon walked forward and slipped his arm under Kisho's. "Just burns and bruises, but nothing life threatening."

Kisho looked around him. They were in a large dark hallway with curving columns and pillars. He wasn't sure where they were exactly and this had been the first time he'd actually had been curious he looked up at Gennai. The young man looked down and smiled.

"We're in the Citadel of Light, we must see how bad the casualties are," Gennai whispered. "I fear though that they are high. It seems Arkadimon and his associates got all the way to…to the inner sanctum."

"Inner sanctum?" Kisho whispered as he walked stiffly between Gennai and Alphamon. The ground was brickwork as were the walls. The entire room had a chill to it and a darkness that was unnerving.

"Mmmhmmm, the Citadel of Light is an important place, it is here that the Digital World's defenses are monitored and controlled," Gennai replied as he walked slowly forward. "The barrier that has been used to keep Arkadimon from achieving his full potential is maintained and really manufactured here…"

"What do you mean?" Kisho coughed quietly. The sound echoed emptily into the vastness of the hall. The walls were huge the ceiling was so high that it disappeared in the shadows. "What do you mean by manufactured?"

"The Digital World has natural defense systems to make sure things don't get out of hand," Gennai explained quietly, "the problem is, that those natural defenses are very…equal opportunity. We needed a defense system that would hinder Kurayami if he ever was resurrected…so we created this place. We appointed seven Mega digimon to attend to the defense systems, seven digimon of great virtue. The Seven Great Angels."

"Great angels…" Kisho sighed as Gennai let go of his hand and walked ahead of him and opened the large doors that led to a huge chamber.

"Yes, I've already told the others," Gennai replied as he walked forward. The other digi-destined were sitting in a group. Taku, Jiro and Ren had bandages around their arms and face. Haru had stitches up his cheek, where he'd been cut by Fuujinmon. "There are seven great angel digimon that use their holy powers to warp the defenses and make sure things stay…normal. They are Seraphimon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon, Clavis Angemon, Slash Angemon, Dominimon, and…well I'll show you," Gennai walked forward toward a platform. There was a control consul nearby. Gennai slid his fingers over the control system and the platform glowed to life. "Come…"

The children grunted, as did their digimon, who were also covered in burns, cuts, scuffs and bruises. Ren helped Renamon to her feet. The fox had wrapping wound around her lower legs and abdomen. Guilmon had his ear-wings taped. DemiDevimon's wings were bandaged and Agumon had bandages on his snout.

"Ugh…another teleporter…" grumbled Ren as she stepped up onto the platform.

"I suppose you could walk up the stairs…" Gennai said placing his hand on his chin. "I just figured that in your condition you wouldn't be up to walking five hundred flights of stairs…"

"Five..Five..hundred?" Ren gawped. She looked around the platform and then to Gennai, "I…guess the teleporter's not so bad…"

"Good…" Gennai smiled and pressed a button on the control consul and quickly hopped onto the platform.

A rainbow of light flickered up around the children and the familiar tingling spread from their fingers and toes inward. There was a strange weightless feeling that accompanied the transportation. The process then reversed itself. The weightless feeling faded as gravity tugged at their feet and then a tingling sensation coming from the middle of their torsos outward brought them back to reality as a rainbow drained down around them into the floor.

"OH GOD IT BURNS!" yelped Haru loudly as he covered his eyes and dropped to his knees. The other children collapsed as light cut into their eyes. White daggers shooting from the walls, floor tiling and even empty space seemed to stab their eyes.

Gennai walked forward, passing the children as they rubbed their temporarily blinded optical orbs, "I forgot to tell you to close your eyes to make them ready for the light difference…sorry…"

"Bastard…" Taku hissed loudly as he struggled to stand without tripping over his own feet. "You did that on purpose…"

After a few hundred sharp, tearful blinks Kisho was slowly regaining his vision. The obvious reason for losing it in the first place was that the room they had entered, unlike the almost completely dark room they'd left, was brightly lit. The walls had an odd, pure glow that emitted a sharp white light off the light marble surfaces of the masonry. White pillars rose up making a long, silver carpeted aisle that stretched far into the distance of the room. The sounds of birds singing filled the air, which had in of itself of a sweet fragrance that Kisho could only think of as being the most perfect bouquet of flowers ever. The room had a sterile feel to it, like a hospital room, but he could hear the sounds of brooks and streams trickling down and the breeze had an outdoors quality as if it carried an infinite amount of Spring with it.

"Where…where are we?" Ren asked quietly as she walked along. Renamon was at the girl's side, looking back and forth as her golden tail swished behind her.

"It's pretty…" Guilmon whispered quietly as the red dragon loped alongside of his partner. The blonde was still blinking feverishly but he was still attempting to look around.

"Where is that water sound coming from, I don't see any fountains or…streams…" Haru asked quietly as he looked at the areas around him. "And where are the birds, I can hear them…but I can't see them…"

"It's like the best dream a person could ever have…" Jiro whispered as he walked in awe. His head tilted upward as he tried to see the ceiling. "It looks like the sky…" The others stopped and looked upward, and indeed a blue vista filled the area above them. Wisps of white clouds trailed lazily across the blue.

Agumon furrowed a brow, "but it was…nearly dusk when we left, we couldn't have been out that long…"

"He's right, it's only been a few hours since we entered the castle," Alphamon replied as the knight looked up into the sky ceiling.

"You haven't de-digivolved yet…" Kisho noticed suddenly as he looked at his partner.

"When we entered this place, it was like a great energy surged into me…I have yet to be able to get rid of it," Alphamon replied in annoyance, "It's uncomfortable to have this much power when it is no longer needed…"

"I don't like it…" Taku grumbled. "My skin's crawling and my head hurts and this air is making me feel nauseous."

"Ditto…" DemiDevimon, who was lying limply on Taku's head, grumbled. "I feel like I'm going to puke…"

"Well, get off if you're going to," Taku snarled as he reached up and grasped DemiDevimon, "I don't want to deal with that…"

"It's not much further now…" said Gennai as he pointed forward. A dais was in the distance with white curtains hanging limply from pillars that formed a rough rectangle around a throne.

Gennai pressed forward with the children walking behind him eagerly, save for Taku and DemiDevimon who lagged behind dragging their feet as they went. A woman could be seen sitting on the throne in the middle of the dais. The throne was made of platinum. It had a high back that formed a cross between the bars of the cross spokes reached out from the center, like rays of light. The tips of the crossbars each had a jewel and the tips of the pointed spokes had a jewel. The armrests of the throne were curled in a gentle whorl. The children stopped as Gennai walked forward and dropped to one knee at the base of the dais. He looked up.

The woman inclined her head ever so slightly. She had long, silver hair that draped over her shoulders. The upper half of her face was covered by a silver helmet. A band of metal bisected the helmet sagitally. Metal nuts were embedded in the band. On either side of the band a star rested, in the position of where the woman's eyes would've been. The top of the woman's head was further accentuated by a pair of fluffy plumes of feathers. They looked like pure white dandelion fuzz but they had a general sense of being wispy wings that projected upward from her skull.

A brick red top covered her torso. It was exceedingly formfitting and a deep V cut at the neck showing a portion of her cleavage, but in a way that was conservative and tasteful. The top had gold lines draw all over it in the shapes of vines and leaves. The top went up to her shoulder and then down her arms, the golden vines wrapping elegantly around the woman's arms as they did. At her wrists a golden gauntlet started and it covered her hands, ending in long, sharp claws. At the top of both of her hands a pair of white, falcon-like wings was folded. The top cleaved at the woman's midriff, exposing a toned stomach. Six jewels surrounded the woman's navel, a ruby and a topaz on top, an emerald to the left, a pink opal and a sapphire on the bottom and a yellow agate to the right. A single diamond was embedded in her belly button. A dress covered her legs and feet. It had two layers, the top layer was a sheer chiffon dyed light emerald and the bottom layer which looked as if it was made of a heavier fabric like cotton or wool. The second layer was also dyed green, though it was a darker green, closer to the color of forest foliage. Six sparkling pairs of white wings were tucked against her back; their glow emanating from behind her like someone had placed her against the sun.

"You bring tainted beings into my presence…" the woman said in a sharp, authoritarian voice. The woman lifted her hand and the pair of wings on that hand's wrist unfurled as she pointed one of her long, golden clawed fingers at Taku and DemiDevimon. "It is bad enough that the Citadel has been ransacked and plundered…but to bring such…pestilence to this place of purity…."

"Hey!" coughed Taku loudly as he staggered forward. He clenched his fist, "I don't know who the hell you are lady but I'm not going to let you bad mouth me. You think you're so high and mighty why don't you come down here and say that to me upfr…"

Gennai slapped his hand over Taku's face. "I apologize, he is a bit of a ruffian…but my lady do you not know, that you're in the presence of the digi-destined; they were called by the Founders…they are not your enemy…"

"It matters not, I can smell the stench of Kurayami on that pustule. Remove him and his…creature from this place…" snorted the woman angrily. "I smell the taint all around…cowardice, sloth, hatred…these are not the children the Founders told me of. They are…different…"

"They are the next best thing," Gennai said quickly as he gave embarrassed looks at the children. "We couldn't call the first set of Chosen Children they are not mature enough to deal with the danger at hand…they are not yet ready for Arkadimon…"

"Ah, yes…him…I can no longer sense the other angels; he has devoured them all…" the woman sighed as she put one of her hands to the side of her head. "He even attempted to devour me, with his mechanical toy at his side. I was fortunate enough to collect all the powers of the defenses under my command to drive him and his tin man away…"

"So you're the only survivor from this massacre?" Haru asked as he looked at her. The woman's pearly white skin tightened into a frown.

"It would not have happened if the children had had the power to defeat Arkadimon," the woman snorted quietly.

"My lady, we did our best," Gennai whispered his head bowed.

"Your best was obviously not enough," The female angel said as she stood up. She took a step forward and collapsed to her knees.

"My lady!" Gennai rushed forward to the kneeling angel.

"The power I used to defeat Arkadimon was great…" whispered the woman quietly, "I am just exhausted…that is all…"

"Pff…all high and mighty and can't even take a step off her shiny stool," snorted Taku loudly. The boy lurched forward as Ren's fist connected with the back of Taku's head.

"Show some respect, she kicked more of Arkadimon's butt in ten minutes than we have…in what, months?" Ren growled loudly as she glared down at Taku, whose face was planted into the silver carpet with a giant bump on the back of his head.

"My lady maybe we should take you back to the Order's Headquarters to treat you," Gennai suggested as he helped the angel rise to her feet. "The Citadel is stable for now, but it will not stay that way."

"I will come with you Gennai. With the other angels gone, I will have to work to maintain the Digital World's defenses on my own. In order to do that I will need access to the locations of the seven pillars of the harmony barrier," the woman replied with a slight wince as she stood up, placing her weight on Gennai. "To the seven Destiny Stones…"

"Of course my lady," Gennai said quickly, "We will get the information instantly…"

"Hey, wait a minute," Kisho looked at the woman, staring into the golden stars where her eyes should've been. "Since you angels, manufacture the defenses, shouldn't already have that information?"

"To make sure no one angel had the ability to control the entirety of the Digital World's defenses, we were only given the information on our own personal destiny stone," replied the woman quietly. "Seeing as I am the last of us, I must attempt to control all of them…to at least hem in Arkadimon's power…"

"Then let us go…" Gennai nodded as he helped the angel past the children.

"Who was that?" Jiro asked quietly as he watched Gennai and the angel slowly proceed down the path they had come.

"That was Lady Metatromon…." Renamon whispered as she walked forward, "Highest of the Great Angels, the one that is known to transcend the physical worlds to commune with the Founders themselves…"

"She's uppity enough to act like a god herself," Taku snorted loudly. "She basically called us scum…"

"Compared to her…" Renamon replied quietly, "We are…"

**888**

**AN: This chapter was hard to write. The first half particularly, I was worried I had over done it. The rest came off rather well, or at least I think it did. I hope the next update doesn't take this long. I don't know though. Fuujinmon and Suijinmon are kind of fun to write for. Really I kind of shaped their characters after the homunculi from FMA and the Shinchintai from Inuyasha. **

**Metatromon is a digimon I created myself, and is actually a combination of things. Her name comes from an actual angel named Metatron, who is the highest angel and basically is the only one that can talk to and be in God's presence. I got the idea from a manga called Angel Sanctuary…(this manga is for older children and probably would have an M rating if it were a fan fic or at least a very high T) There though Metatron is a child, the real idea from Angel Sanctuary is the fact that in Angel Sanctuary Gabriel is in the form of a woman (the name's changed to Jibril). Metatron is depicted as male in the book of Enoch, but I didn't want another male member of the Seven Great Angels, so I made Metatromon a female. **

**And once more I apologize for the long wait, and I graciously thank those of you who hadn't given up hope. Hopefully we won't have to take this long again, but I can't promise anything. So, till next time. **

** Spring: I meant the season, which is why it is capitalized. **


	40. The Destiny Stone Gamut

**I don't own digimon. **

**The Destiny Stone Gamut  
**

**888**

Taku walked down the halls of the Order's Headquarters. The fortress was quite extensive and it was easy to lose oneself in the curves and turns of the corridors. He would walk past a couple of pasty cloaked Order members, walking from place to place like wandering specters. DemiDevimon was resting on his head, and the even shift in the digimon's pressure on his head plus the small vibrations buzzing from the bat digimon's nostrils told Taku that his partner was asleep. Taku smiled slightly and reached upward patting the digimon's head lightly. He remembered when the little bat attempted that for the first time, back when Sorcerymon had treated him. Taku stopped and looked down. His dark colored eyes closed as he remembered Sorcerymon being purposely eccentric. Taku could also remember seeing the white wizard hanging from the end of one of Baronmon's hair spears, limp. Taku reached up and lifted one of the two tags hanging on his chest up. It was the one with the star being eclipsed by the dark shadows of the moon.

"The Crest of Darkness was created from the antique, physical body of the evil, betraying Founder, Kurayami," whispered Taku quietly as he ran his finger over the small, glass window of the tag. "Kurayami created Daemon, Daemon created Arkadimon, and Arkadimon's darkness caused Baronmon to do what he did…Arkadimon's darkness fed Matadormon, Matadormon made me murder innocent digimon, Matadormon turned my brother against me…and then hurt him, and Matadormon's evolution into GranDracmon caused Kisho to turn DORUmon into DORUghoramon…and in the end Arkadimon is still free…The powers of Darkness are too strong for anyone to control peacefully. Metatromon says I'm tainted, a scuff on the digi-destined…but how can that be? When I am with Jiro, the darkness and the light…they become one. They become infinitely stronger together than when apart…Jiro trusts me…and he has the Crest of Light. So…why is Metatromon so against me?"

"She saw the damage Kurayami created," Taku spun around. Gennai was standing behind him. The Order member's blue eyes twinkled as his vision seemed to phase through Taku's skin. "Kurayami's contamination of Lucemon was incredibly horrific. Her village was under Lucemon's control for many years before the other Founder's finally answered her prayers. Lucemon's officers raped and pillaged her village. Those that did not acquiesce to Lucemon's design were murdered in the sight of their families, in front of their friends, in front of everyone. Some in the most humiliating of ways; others were tortured for all to see until they either died, or named Lucemon lord and master with blood filled tears trickling down their cheeks. You can understand why Metatromon is disgusted with anything attached to the powers of Kurayami. No matter how much those attached to it have tried to turn those powers towards good."

"But she's being prejudice for no reason, I am not a…horrible person," Taku returned quietly.

"It is strange how your demeanor has changed since Metatromon has come here to stay," Gennai replied quietly as he started to walk. Taku unconsciously started to follow the man. Gennai's robes swayed with his movement and slightly flared after the young man. "At first you acted as if you didn't care how Metatromon felt about you. Now, you are concerned?"

"It's just sometimes when she calls me a blemish on the rest of the digi-destined," Taku narrowed his eyes, "She's such a hoity-toity…uppity…but…when I think about it…"

"You fear she may be right…" Gennai said quietly without looking back at the black haired boy who was following him. "You are the only one that feels ill around her. You are starting to wonder if maybe Kurayami's powers are truly starting to taint you, starting to make you incompatible with your friends."

"Well, aren't they?" Taku returned sharply, bounding in front of Gennai and glaring into the man's blue eyes. "Arkadimon says that he and I are similar. It's true…we're both built up and empowered by the darkness, we both were created by outside forces…not through natural means…we've both been shut out by others because of who we are…"

"Mm, but I doubt your parents wanted you to be simply a weapon of destruction," Gennai said quietly, "that's the difference. Arkadimon is only looking for ways to survive to fill out his program…but you…you have something more."

Gennai reached forward and clasped one of the tags hanging around Taku's neck. Gennai lifted it and gently turned it so that the crest could be shown. A pink rose was carved into the crest's surface.

"Will it glow like Kisho's?" Taku asked quietly as he looked up at Gennai.

"Indubitably," Gennai said with a smile. "Kindness tempers the sword of Darkness."

"Those are nice words…" Taku said with a frown, "but…what if   
Kurayami returns. Can we win?"

"I think you'll find that winning has everything to do with you, and nothing to do with the opponent," Gennai smiled quietly and let go of the Crest of Kindness and walked away.

"Well, that was really clear," Taku snorted as he turned to walk away continuing his way down the hall.

"I wouldn't go that way, if I were you," Gennai said loudly. Taku stopped and looked back. The man was still facing away from him. Gennai's head slightly turned, so a corner of his left eye was visible, "I wouldn't want you to get hopelessly lost…or…" Gennai let the sentence linger and then continued to walk away not finishing his statement.

Taku grumbled quietly to himself and started to continue in the way he was going. He put one foot forward and felt a chill tiptoe over his spine. Taku shivered slightly and turned, walking in the direction Gennai had gone.

888

"Brother how do you feel?" An eager, innocent voice shot through the darkness. Vision was slow to start up again. A red mass filled his optics.

"Suijinmon, do not get so close, you'll smother big brother," a smoother, more charming voice chastised quietly. The red mass shifted and shrunk away.

"I'm sorry, Brother Fuujinmon, I was just…worried," replied the innocent voice.

"Big Brother is tough, no need to worry about his injuries," the charming voice replied. "Isn't that right, Brother Raijinmon?"

"Aye, I am already fully repaired," He got up the. The pain he'd been feeling was gone, and had been gone for several minutes now.

"How did things go?" The charming voice asked. He turned and saw his brother the lithe, emerald chromed wind warrior, Fuujinmon.

"They went better than expected, considering," He replied as he walked around. They were in an old machine shed. Musty boxes were stacked against the walls with piles of machine parts that surrounded rusted out tractors and corroded chains hung from the ceiling. Raijinmon turned and walked over to a crimson fortress. "I am sorry I worried you, Brother Suijinmon, but that angel caught us by surprise."

The crimson robot nodded slightly; it's small knob-like head barely able to incline due the distinct lack of a neck. He swung around and smiled as best as he could as a mechanical digimon.

"The master's plans then are going to work? We eliminated the barrier's affect then?" Fuujinmon asked as the lithe digimon leaned against a particularly sturdy set of boxes the digimon's arms were crossed over its thin chest.

"We shall hear from him soon," He replied quietly. "In fact…"

As if on cue a figure appeared in the shadows. A hissing, wheezing voice buzzed through the air toward the three digimons' audio receivers. "Fuujinmon, Suijinmon, Raijinmon, it is time we implement our plan."

The shadow was nothing more than a rough form, merely a blob of darkness cast against a wall of lesser darkness. There was no source of light from the shadows, no glint of light or metal, of course the abandoned storehouse itself was dark and the shutters were closed and the only light that entered was from cracks in the roof and from where the walls and ceiling had slowly worked apart due to disrepair and natural expansion and contraction.

"I thought we already implemented 'our plan'," Fuujinmon said sharply pushing off of the stack of boxes the digimon been leaning on. The boxes wobbled and collapsed in the opposite direction, their contents clattering, clanking or smooshing to the ground, depending on their matter within the boxes.

"Fool, that was only the first part," the shadow chuckled. "The second part is to gain the powers of the Digital World's defenses, to use them to free our Great Lord and Master…"

"I thought the whole point of raiding the Citadel of Light was to take the defenses out of commission!" Fuujinmon said with increasing irritation. The emerald digimon raised an arm and one of lithe mechanical digimon's energy blades flickered to life, "I do not like being left out of the loop!"

"Do not forget that I am the one that brought you out of your sleep, Fuujinmon," the hiss replied quietly. "I have it in my power to return you to your slumber…"

"Brother Fuujinmon, please, do not anger the master, I don't want to go back to sleep," whimpered the crimson fortress, Suijinmon. The thick, quartet of back legs shuddered slightly at the tone of the shadow's voice. The strong, naked forelegs clanked slightly as they trembled.

"Yes, Fuujinmon," He said quietly. He looked at his brother in derision. "Such acts of…inconsiderateness will sour master's mood…"

"I can not stay here long. The Order will soon find my location if I do," hissed the voice quietly. The shadow shifted slightly and seven orbs floated out of the darkness. They were clear as glass. "These seven orbs you are to use to capture the energy sealed within the Destiny Stones."

Six of the orbs glided to the three mechanical digimon. A compartment opened up on the chest units of the three digimon and two orbs flew into each of the Elemental Guardians.

"What of the last orb?" Raijinmon asked as he looked at the shadow.

"I will hold on to it," replied the shadow in a whispered hiss. The seventh orb returned to the shadows disappearing in the darkness, "It will be the most important and I wish to use its powers for something deserving."

"Where can we find these Destiny Stones?" Suijinmon asked quickly. "I want to start helping you as soon as possible, Master."

Three spears of darkness shot out of the darkness and stabbed the three Elemental Guardians. Raijinmon could feel a burning energy flow into his head. Suddenly maps and diagrams flashed across his memories. His optic systems twitched and he felt his hydraulics and synthetic muscles twitch as the information downloaded.

"You need to only break the seal; I have plans on how to get the energy ready for collection. All you have to do is observe and move in when the energy is ready to be taken." whispered the shadow in a wheezing hiss. "I can not stay any longer. I can sense Metatromon's mind coming."

The shadows rippled and then the blob was gone. Fuujinmon lifted a mechanical hand up to his forehead. "Master, is being very…surreptitious."

"It is not our place to question the master," Raijinmon replied quietly as he walked towards the corroded doors of the machine shed. He pushed on the doors and they creaked loudly before falling off of their hinges. Light flooded into the storehouse. The gray, aluminum innards of the storehouse sparkled for a brief few seconds as light bounced off the metal.

Suijinmon walked up next to Raijinmon. Suijinmon's armor collected the light showing off its soft raspberry tone. The gunnery on the digimon's shoulders glinted as light traced a photon finger along the barrels of the cannons.

Fuujinmon slowly joined them. He sighed quietly as a breezed passed through the doors. A late morning sweep of wind blew over the grassy hills that extended out into the vista in front of them.

"Tis a pity, Master will likely turn this place into a burnt cinder," whispered Fuujinmon as he walked past the other two guardians. "It has its charms."

"You are too sentimental, my brother," Raijinmon said. "Such things will not find favor with the master."

"Do not anger the master, Brother Fuujinmon," whimpered Suijinmon as he looked in terror at the green chromed digimon. "Please? I don't want to go back to sleep!"

"Big and tough, with armor like that of a tank, and you're just a scared kitten inside…" Fuujinmon quipped as he walked further out from the machine shed. "Brother Suijinmon, do you really think the Master will allow us to stay awake after he awakens the god, Kurayami?"

"I doubt it, but, like Suijinmon, I want to stay awake as long as I can; after all, we're just the master's toys," Raijinmon replied quietly as he walked up to his brother of the wind. He put a heavy, black, metallic hand on the light shoulder of his brother. Fuujinmon turned his head and looked down at the thick black arm that was bordered by even thicker rings at the wrist and elbow. Raijinmon nodded slightly, "In the end our wishes are defined by the master. Our dreams can only exist with in the frame of the master's and our time is his to command…"

"I suspect you are correct; after all, in the end, it is our sleep that defines our wakefulness…and it's our freedom that defines our slavery," Fuujinmon whispered as he walked away. The wind swirled around him grasping at pieces of free, prairie grass and tossing them toward the sky. "I won't work to displease the master anymore, for your sake, Suijinmon, Raijinmon. I would not like to know that my disrespect cost you your insomnia."

The winds swirled sharply and Fuujinmon was gone, leaving pieces of grass to lazily find their way back to the ground. Suijinmon looked worriedly at Raijinmon.

"Do not fret, Fuujinmon would not do anything to harm us," Raijinmon said quietly. "Let us go, these 'Destiny Stones' won't crack by themselves."

Suijinmon nodded contently and marched toward the west against the still rising, morning sun. Raijinmon watched as the red fortress receded into the distance and then he turned south. He closed his eyes.

"So, the master wants me to get this one first, the only one guarded…" Raijinmon said to himself. He didn't like how much Fuujinmon's sleep had affected him. He didn't like how the master was leaving them in the dark about what was happening, but in the end, it didn't matter what he liked and what he didn't like, he was the master's toy and he would be played with as the master liked. The electromagnetic turbines on Raijinmon's back hummed to life as electrical rockets propelled him into the air and then southward toward his first Destiny Stone.

888

The doors of the control room exploded open. The Order members that were working peacefully at their consuls instantly leapt to their feet. A red and green attired angel walked into the control room and walked sweepingly past the consul workers. The female angel swept her hand up and the main monitor of the control room, on the far wall from the doors, flickered to life showing a map of the Digital World. Seven red lights flickered to life.

"Lady Metatromon, what can we attribute to this most sudden and sacred visit?" A young Order member with red hair and green eyes walked up. The humanoid was thin but shapely, obviously female. The robes the Order member wore were slightly tight around the waist and chest.

"Where is Gennai?" The angel replied with a sharp, straightforward demand.

"He's…well…he's…" The woman blushed slightly and looked around, "He's…well…not here?" The woman offered an uncomfortable smile and nervous giggle.

"That, child, is obvious," the angel replied with a flare of annoyance cutting through her voice. "What is your name?"

"Lu…Luminel, milady," the female bowed her head deeply to the angel.

"Mmm, I see…" replied the angel unimpressed. "You are Gennai's second in command…"

"Well…I share the duty with Rathiel…but I consult most closely with Gennai…yes," the girl gulped as she looked into the star's embedded in the angel's helmet. Even without seeing the eyes she knew by the rocky facial features of the marble white face of the angel that Lady Metatromon was nowhere near pleased. "I'm sorry that I do not know where Master Gennai is. He sometimes wanders off…and can be quite difficult to get a hold of..."

"Ahh, Lady Metatromon!" Gennai's voice echoed from the doors of the control room.

The angel's lips pursed as she glared at Luminel. The woman sighed quietly and looked down, "and sometimes he just walks right in and makes you look like a complete and total idiot…"

The angel snorted and turned away from Luminel and walked toward Gennai. The angel's emerald dress swept after her flowing elegantly as the angel walked toward Gennai. Gennai inclined his head slightly to the angel as she walked up to him. She was a good head and half taller than the blue eyed Order member.

"I have finished talking to the Gods," the angel said sharply. "They are concerned."

"I suspect they should be," replied Gennai with a smile, "Their little prisoner is going to become one heck of a fugitive…"

"Do not be flippant with me!" snarled the angel loudly as she glared down at Gennai. The man didn't flinch in the least.

"Lady Metatromon, I realize that Arkadimon is building strength to crush the Fire Wall," Gennai said in a very serious tone. His blue eyes became hard like glacial ice. "Have they suggested any course of action?"

"The Gods were…very, opaque," replied the angel as she turned. Her platinum hair swept behind her as she turned her head. Her pearly, white wings unfurled, as she walked forward with a statesman's elegance. She lifted a golden gauntleted hand. The long, thin claws splayed. The main monitor visage peeled from the screen and hovered in the air as a holographic sphere. "I did extract some information though. It seems that the Destiny Stones are the next target…"

"Arkadimon is going to destroy them?" Gennai whispered as he walked past the angel and inspected the hovering globe.

"No, that is not his objective," Metatromon replied quietly. "He would not wish to destroy the Digital World, they said…he is planning to absorb the defenses of the Digital World and make them his own…"

"He'll absorb the energy of the Destiny Stones?" Gennai whispered, "Seven stones holding the power of seven…"

"Seven, Sealed, Mega digimon," Metatromon nodded with a grunt. "In order to get the power he'd have to absorb the core of those digimon. In order to do that…he'd have to…"

"Destroy the digimon," Gennai finished the angel's sentence. "I know that the Elemental Guardians are powerful but…"

"They lack the power to destroy those digimon," Metatromon said looking back at Gennai.

"So…what can he be planning, would he attempt to come out himself to do it; risk exposing himself to the entire power of the defense systems?" Gennai asked quietly as he looked up into the stars of Metatromon's helmet.

"I have re-instated the defense systems, if he came out and used the power needed to defeat any of those digimon he would be locked onto and neutralized," Metatromon said with infinite confidence. "Even absorbing the energy of the other angels would only be a temporary effect. It was a stalling tactic…"

"That's definitely Arkadimon's M.O.," Gennai said, crossing his arms. "Hit and run, until it's safe enough to hit again."

"But if the seal is cracked on the Destiny Stones," Metatromon clenched her fists. "The digimon freed…"

"Will definitely not be in a good mood," Gennai said as he turned around and looked at the globe as the red dots pulsed with a new threatening force. "Looks like he has us under a bit of a barrel…"

"Indeed," replied Metatromon. Her lips tightened, "to choose between allowing Seven criminal digimon to be free to attack innocent bystanders or to give Arkadimon the power he needs to break the Fire Wall and let loose the most evil and vindictive being in the universe…"

"Neither is acceptable," Gennai replied with a nod. "I suspect we'll have to destroy the sealed digimon and then stop Arkadimon. It's the only action that deals with both problems."

"I do not like the idea of putting those children in charge, especially the one tainted by Kurayami," Metatromon said as she glared at the hovering globe.

"We haven't a choice, the crests were made for this purpose, to stop this," Gennai retorted as he turned to the angel. He was prepared to continue when the angel fell forward onto her knees. Her hands were clasped over her head the tiny plumes that fuzzily projected from her head between her fingers were slightly down curved. "Lady Metatromon, are you ok?"

"The seal…it's breaking," hissed the angel as she bowed down; her head nearly touching the ground. "One…no…two….no three of the Destiny Stones…their seals…"

"Which ones?" Gennai asked sharply.

Metatromon lifted one of her hands, shaking her fingers curling and twitching. Three of the red dots flickered, blinking on and off on the hovering globe's surface. One of the dots was the one nearest to the Order's fortress.

Lady Metatromon collapsed on the floor. A mumbled whimper escaped her exhausted lips.

Gennai snapped his head up and looked up at Luminel. "Get the digi-destined!" Gennai knelt down and then looked up at the remaining Order members who were standing around in shock, or attempting to return back to normal duty. Gennai narrowed his eyes, "Help me with Lady Metatromon!"

As the Order members rushed to assist Gennai, the red dot on the globe that was closest to their position slowly dimmed and the frequency of the flickering of the light grew smaller. Finally the red dot disappeared.

888

He hated patrol. He hated the entire job. He glided slowly along on tiny, feathered wings. His large, blue eyes remained trained on the distance. Another sandstorm had blown up and the particulates gave the sky a golden tint. His tiny arms, which looked like featherless chicken wings, were tucked against his plush chest where a red heart was tattooed. His body tapered down to a tail and he had no legs.

"Stupid, High Angels saying I'm not good enough," snorted the little digimon as he glided along the outer corridor. Between him and the desert were Greek columns that surrounded the periphery of the temple. They supported the marble roof, also built in the fashions of the Humans' Ancient Greece. The floor and the temple dais were another thing though, they were constructed in the fashion of the Humans' ancient Egyptians' pyramids, or at least that's what the data file said. The little digimon narrowed his eyes, "I'm an Angemon, I'm a Mega digimon…I should've been one of the inhabitants of the Citadel of Light; not stuck here guarding some sleeping demon…" The digimon snarled to himself and scrunched up his face. "Stupid Metatromon," His voice changed into a more whiny but commanding voice. "'But, Marine Angemon, your powers would be put more effectively guarding Deathmon…' PAH! My powers would be more effective kicking some of Metatromon's…"

Marine Angemon's rant to himself stopped for a second as he turned his rather large head out to the desert. A shadow appeared in the whipping sand particles. It was growing bigger and more defined. The sand swept around the dark silhouette. Marine Angemon narrowed his blue eyes.

"Oi! Stop, do not come closer, this is a restricted region!" shouted the floating nymph loudly. "Under Article 13, of the Proclamation of Understood Digital World Defense or UDWD…oh fluff it, come any closer and I'll blast ya to kingdom come!"

"Blitz Arm!" a lavender pulse rocketed out of the sandstorm.

Marine Angemon hit the floor as the streak of purple colored electricity flashed over his head. There was a loud explosion.

"Why…you…" grumbled Marine Angemon loudly as he flew up into the air, "If you're a test from Metatromon…I'm going to be sooo…"

"Blitz Arm!" the shadow lifted one of its arms and another bolt of lavender lightning fired forward.

"Kahuna Wave!" yelped Marine Angemon in surprise. A pink, heart-shaped shield appeared in front of the little pixie. The lightning bolt smashed against the shield and fanned out over its surface area. "Annoying…how annoying? Couldn't you come at another time?"

"I'm afraid my master wants this done now," replied the shadow as it continued to walk forward.

The sands shifted and the oncoming figure was revealed. It was a rounded, bulky figure, though the bulk was positioned in such away as to suggest an underlying nimbleness. The chest was broad with sandy-brown armor shaped around the pecks, the stomach and hips were made up of ribbed rubber tubing, rather like the crook in a rather large, thick and strong bendable straw. Its head was small dome barely peeking over the collar of the chest armor, save for a light blue, lightning shaped spike that sliced up the middle of its head. Its shoulders were made up of two pairs of barrels that were the same color as the chest. The lower barrel set seemed to be the actual joint, but they must have functioned as diodes as well, the right shoulder had a plus sign on its forward face and the left shoulder had a minus sign. The upper pair of barrels looked like cannons; save the mouth of the barrel was some sort of headlight.

"Halt!" shouted Marine Angemon angrily. The creature continued forward on strong legs. It lifted its arms, their black steel surfaces crackled with lavender electricity. Marine Angemon growled softly and the heart-shaped shield in front of it grew. "You're lightning won't get through!"

"I have to get through," replied the mechanical digimon. There was a loud electrical whine that seemed to cut through the air. The sand sparked and the storm seemed to warp around the intruder in twisting bubbles, chasing the electromagnetic field lines. The whine grew louder. The upper pair of shoulder barrels flickered to life. The headlights on the intruder's upper barrels glowed with an eerie orange color. "Elekugel!"

Marine Angemon's eyes shrunk as two, blue bolts of lightning fired from the cannons. The lightning bolts smashed through the heart shield like a sledge hammer through glass. Marine Angemon's back arched as electricity tore up and down his spinal cord. His wings and arms spread out as his muscles were forced to contract. He could smell his own skin burning as the lightning cooked his flesh from the inside out. As suddenly as it hit the electricity stopped its onslaught. Marine Angemon crashed to the earth dirt seemed to find its way into his dry mouth. His vision sparkled wavering between too bright and too dark. He could see the digimon moving closer.

"H-halt…" Marine Angemon rasped with his dry throat.

The figure stopped next to Marine Angemon. An arm extended and pointed downward. There was a soft sizzling sound and then a loud 'kapow' noise and the darkness flooded Marine Angemon's vision.

888

Several minutes had past, the darkness was complete, but finally the noises slowly started to filter in. A spinning whirring roar rumbled in Marine Angemon's ears. His body shook awake, partially from the intense twitches coming from the residual neural impulses from the attack. His wings weakly opened and he lifted off the ground, shaking and wobbling in the air. The winds had stopped the sandstorm was over.

Marine Angemon narrowed his eyes. The winds had stop. A whirring roar still filled the air. He turned slowly. A beam of darkness was shooting into the sky from the middle of the temple.

"No…" Marine Angemon pushed himself forward. "No, no, no, no…"

Marine Angemon whimpered as he pushed past the Greek pylons inside the temple and flew across the brick floors. He swept into a round inner sanctum; in the middle of the sanctum was a dais with a cube with a sealing ring curled diagonally around it. The intruder clenched his one of his fists and it was wrapped in lavender energy.

"Blitz Arm!" The intruder punched forward, releasing the electrical energy. An egg-shaped dome of energy around the golden cube flared as the energy ran its lavender fingers across its surface.

"Don't do that! Do you have any idea what you're doing?" shouted Marine Angemon loudly. He winced and coughed loudly retching forward, his muscles cramping painfully. The intruder clenched his fist again and formed another burst of energy. The intruder pulled his arm back. Marine Angemon growled as he forced his body upright. "Ocean Love!"

A heart shaped beam of energy shot forward from Marine Angemon's chest. The intruder leaned backward and the beam missed his chest by a handful of centimeters and burned into one of the pylons beyond the Destiny Stone.

"Blitz Arm…" whispered the intruder as he crashed his fist against the barrier around the Destiny Stone.

Purple lightning crackled across the egg-shaped energy dome and the shield cracked. The golden cube instantly turned black as streams of dark gas erupted from inside. The dark beam was roaring into the sky intensified. The intruder punched the shield one last time and this time the energy barrier melted away. The room was flooded with black wafts of miasma. Marine Angemon coughed as he retreated out of the inner sanctum. The darkness twisted in the sky. Friction forced bolts of lightning down out of the heavens.

A demon flew from the pillar of darkness. Its darkening, gray body was like that of a tadpole's, with a bulbous front and twisting tail-like back. Unlike a tadpole, though, it had arms and legs. Its front was dominated with one large eye. Its upper eyelid was a modified, black helmet with a tiny horn-like projection jutting out of the back of the helmet. Marine Angemon shook slightly as it opened its three-clawed hand, revealing an eye in each of its palms. Its whole weight was carried by tattered, red wings. The tattered, leathery appendages flapped as the demon circled in the air.

The beast laughed loudly as it flew. "I am free!" It roared happily stretching all of its appendages out to their fullest. "Finally my time has come; I will finally be allowed to give this world my gift! My gift of death! This world will revel in my generosity!"

"Great, he's gone bonkers in the Destiny Stone…" grumbled Marine Angemon as he watched. He winced slightly as the demon looked down, noticing him. Marine Angemon snorted, "I don't know why someone's sent for your freedom, Deathmon, but I do know you won't be delivering any gifts, be they death, fruitcake or something else equally crappy! So just settle down and get back in the stone!"

"Heh, you, who guarded me, and held me captive," Deathmon chuckled quietly, hovering in the air. "You shall be the first to unwrap my parcel…I give you my gift first! DEATH ARROW!"

Marine Angemon gulped as Deathmon's palm eyes fired two, black, energy arrowheads. The little nymph narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Kahuna Wave!" Tiny, pink, heart-shaped soap bubbles floated in front of him. "Ah nuts, used all my juice to defend against that idiot robot thing…" The arrows closed in, their pointed ends spiraling with dark energy. "Well, it could be worse…I could've been killed choking on a cheeseball…"

Darkness filled his vision, this was it. All those years guarding the stone were over. Marine Angemon sighed resignedly. It hadn't been so bad, except for these last parts. The end was here, but the moment had been provided for.

**888**

**AN: Not much. This chapter's end was harder to write than its beginning and end, I was half tempted to continue but I think this is a much better place to start. I think that's about it. Well, till next time. **


	41. The ThreePronged Attack

**I don't own digimon**

**The Three-Pronged Attack**

**888**

Taku was walking down the hall of the Order's headquarters. His body still had aches from the Citadel of Light's destruction. DemiDevimon was still resting in his room. Gennai's short conversation with him had made him a little unnerved. He didn't know why but something seemed off. Every time he was in this part of the fortress there seemed to be an increase in number of Order members as if they were patrolling the area. Gennai's warning that he wouldn't like what was in that part of the fortress only seemed to make the feeling worse and that chill that had shot down his spine only confirmed the eeriness of it all.

"Taku…" A voice called out from behind the black haired boy.

Taku nearly leapt out of his skin as he spun around. DemiDevimon jolted awake and his claws dug into Taku's scalp. The entirety of the top half of Taku's body was drenched in pain, from his heart's sudden upswing in tempo to the claws poking into his skull. Taku looked up into a pair of hazel eyes.

"Oh…" Taku was breathing with long deep gasps as he dragged air into his expanding lungs. "It's you, Haru…you scared the living crap out of me…what are you doing sneaking up on people like that?"

"I'm sorry, I was looking for you," The blonde haired boy looked up at Taku. Guilmon was at his side. The red dragon had a sad down turned expression on his square snout. His posture was slightly curved, not straight backed and formal as usual. His hands were deep in his blue jeans. "I…I've wanted to talk to you…for a while…well…just the last couple of days but still…"

"Yeah, you gonna spit it out…or do you want to swish it about in your mouth for a bit yet?" Taku put his hands impatiently on his hips.

DemiDevimon huffed in annoyance. "Oi, dragon, let's take a bit of a walk."

DemiDevimon took off and glided past Haru's left ear. The dragon tilted its head and the webbed ears on its head twitched and the dragon loped off after the round bat digimon.

"Well? What did you want, Haru?" Taku pressured the blonde haired boy, taking a tough step forward.

"Why is it that you and Jiro are the ones to have your digimon…DNA digivolve…?" Haru glared at the floor, seemingly inspecting the masonry of the brick floor.

"I dunno…" Taku scratched his head and lifted one of his eyebrows. "Why do you care? I mean it's not you…it's not your digimon…it's not like…"

"Jiro's my brother..." Haru interrupted Taku sharply and looked up. His hazel eyes glowed slightly in the half darkness. "Why is it that a total stranger, someone like you, should be with him? Why are you the one to join your strength with his?"

"Look, I don't know? If you want to know so badly why don't you ask Gennai?" Taku glared at Haru in annoyance. "Look, if you're trying to get your Knowledge crest to glow this is a piss poor way of going about it."

"Why you, why not me?" Haru looked into Taku's eyes. Taku took a step back. Haru's eyes seemed to be searching for something. The blonde haired boy stepped forward and then another, before Taku knew it Haru was nearly nose to nose with him. His hazel eyes burned into Taku's black ones. "Why does my brother like you more than me? Why are you more compatible with him than I am? You don't even like Jiro that much…you don't like anyone that much and yet Jiro's the closest with you! He doesn't even talk to me that much anymore…and when he does…he talks about you….like some mighty Adonis…"

"Woah, woah, just cool your jets there!" Taku took a defensive step backward, to give himself some personal space. "First of all, Jiro's still your brother and he loves you way more than he does me…thirdly he's a little kid he's bound to have these little best-buddy crush type things for older kids…and fourthly, he's your brother…every little brother wishes he had older friends outside the sphere of influence of their older brothers! Trust me, I'm a little brother and considering how unpleasant my relationship was with my brother…I understand some of the reasons why Jiro may not be paying as much time with you…"

"He should be with me, things are getting too dangerous," Haru turned away from Taku. "He shouldn't be alone…"

Taku blinked and then his teeth ground against one another, "Now just wait one flaming minute! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I can never know when you might go off the idea of having a little kid hanging around you," Haru growled as he glared at Taku. "I won't have my brother left in the care of someone who may run off, or get fed up with him, or switch sides! You act as if so much has changed…but really it's only been a few months here…and it's only been a month since Volcamon's defeat and a couple weeks since Matadormon's defeat…and I remember what happened while we fought those two…"

"I'm not going to abandon Jiro," Taku growled angrily. "I'm not the same as I was…I'm different now…Really…"

"I can't put my brother in the protection of your words alone…" Haru started to walk away.

"What the heck has changed, we were becoming friends? We were…" Taku stopped. He felt a shadow pass of his heart.

"_I can smell the stench of Kurayami on that pustule!"_ the memory rang in Taku's head.

Taku watched Haru walking away, "You…think that Metatromon is right…You think that you and the others would be better off without me around!"

Haru didn't reply. He just kept walking down the hall in silence; his head bowed. Taku clenched his fists to his side and walked after Haru.

"You can't just walk away!" Taku shouted as he walked after the blonde haired boy. "Answer me!"

Taku reached out and grabbed Haru's arm, yanking the boy around. Tears were trickling down the boy's cheeks.

"Taku, I'm sorry but it's true!" Haru pulled back. "She makes a point. How can we trust you when the crest you have uses the power from the guy we're supposed to be fighting against?"

"And I thought we were finally starting to get along," Taku whispered shaking his head.

Taku released Haru's arm and pushed away from the blonde. He was about to turn and walk away when the corridor filled with the clanging noise of klaxons. Order members pushed past running to and fro.

"Something's up," Haru looked up.

"Idiot, of course, let's go to the control room, they might need _us_," Taku snorted making sure to emphasize 'us'.

Taku ran past Haru and left him behind. The klaxons screamed in his ears. DemiDevimon flitted ahead of him gliding in front of Guilmon. The two digimon had obviously been nearby.

888

Haru and Taku pushed through the doors of the control room at the same time. The other digi-destined were gathered around Gennai. The robed man nodded to them and then turned to a huge, holographic globe hanging in the air. He pointed to three, flashing, red dots on the globe.

"These three are the ones currently under attack from the Elemental Warriors," Gennai said, as if he'd already been explaining the situation to the others, prior to Haru and Taku's arrival.

"There's no way DORUmon and I can be in three places at once…or…can we?" Kisho looked up at Gennai with a hopeful gleam in his brown eyes and a raised, interrogating eyebrow.

"No, even in the Digital World, it's hard to be in more than one place at once," Gennai said with a bit of a smirk. He looked up at the globe and added, "At least, with the distances in we're presented with…"

"So what are we supposed to do?" Ren looked up at Gennai. "The way you talk these Fate Rocks are pretty important…at least enough for you to go through all this hoopla about them…."

"Firstly, they are the Destiny Stones," Gennai said as he looked disparagingly at the brown haired girl in her red shirt and blue jeans. He looked up at the dots, "And it's obvious. The stones were used to contain seven digimon that tried to take over the Digital World after Lucemon's defeat…some say that the digimon were actually a part of Lucemon's personality taken form. Either way three of the stones are threatened so, three teams of digi-destined…"

"But, there's no way you can expect us to hold off the Elemental Guardians," Ren whined as she looked at Gennai.

"You're the digi-destined, we expect a lot of things from you, most of them difficult," Gennai replied quietly, his blue eyes scanning the other children and their partners, "This is but one…"

"Why can't Miss High and Mighty go out and get holy vengeance on them?" Taku said sarcastically. He glared around the room looking for the female angel, Metatromon.

"She is indisposed," Gennai replied with an irritated sigh, "Now, we don't have much time. So, Kisho, you're to go to the Destiny Stone next to a set of old ruins…it's the one that is under the most distress and as such needs the quickest seeing to. Taku, Jiro, and Ren shall go to a Destiny Stone set near the western coast of the Continent of Server, Haru and Guilmon will go a series of airstrips over the mountains, near a small hamlet."

"Wait…I don't want Jiro to go with Ren and Taku," Haru said. The hazel-eyed, blonde walked forward and looked up at Gennai.

"I don't see why it should matter who goes with whom," Gennai said looking down at the boy.

"He's my brother, I want him to come with me," Haru insisted, narrowing his eyes. "I want him to come with me!"

"I decided on sending them with Ren because Renamon is still hurt and she'll need backup," Gennai replied quietly.

"I don't care, have Taku go with her!" Haru spat as he gave the black haired boy a sidelong glare. "Jiro is coming with me!"

"You know perfectly well that Jiro and Taku have to be together in order to be effective," Gennai icy eyes hardened as he spoke with growing frustration. "You're working in a whole new level ExVeemon and Magnamon are just not going to cut it, heck even your Ultimate digimon may prove ineffective, but they have a better chance of standing up to the threat than the Champions…"

"Don't worry," Ren said quietly. The girl looked back to Renamon. "We'll be careful. So, Jiro and Taku can go with Haru if he wants them to."

"Are you sure?" Gennai looked to the golden furred fox standing behind Ren.

"The damage is mostly healed, if we are careful I should be able to keep myself from being severely injured," Renamon replied with a nod.

"I suppose so…" Gennai grumbled as he looked at the fox and then at the black haired girl. "Fine, Jiro, Taku, go with Haru. Now, go to the transmat room, they have your teleportation coordinates ready to go. And good luck, digi-destined."

888

Marine Angemon crouched down, the spinning arrows of death closing in on him. The tiny pixie closed his eyes. At least now he wouldn't have to march about for that bossy Metatromon and in actuality he was going to prove a point by dying at his post.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Shouted a voice.

Marine Angemon blinked and looked up. A greenish haze hovered in the air and the death arrows were gone. Marine Angemon spun around. A black knight was standing in the distance. His hand was held out with the palm forward. A small human figure was hopping up and down.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" shouted Marine Angemon as he thrust himself into the air. His tiny wings buzzed as he rocketed forward, angrily. "This isn't a place for weaklings…"

"Then…why are you here?" asked the small human as he looked down at Marine Angemon.

"What? What do you mean?" Marine Angemon yelped and glared at the human. "I'll have you know I'm the guardian of this place! I'm…"

"Get down!" The human shouted as he leapt forward snatching Marine Angemon and driving the small heart-chested fairy to the ground.

"Death Arrow!"

"Digitalize of Soul!" The black knight lifted his hand and a green beam of energy fired forward.

"Gah!" yelped Marine Angemon loudly as he struggled under the human. "Get off of me! Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Annoying…" the human snorted as he stood up. "I am Kisho Yamada…"

"I don't care!" Marine Angemon snarled as he flexed his wings and lifted off of the ground. "I am the guardian here! You just keep your nose out of it!"

"Death Arrow!" Marine Angemon spun around as the eye ball with wings swung around and extended its arms firing two bolts of energy at him and his companions.

The knight swept itself in front of Marine Angemon and took the two blasts in the chest. The knight groaned and clutched its chest and fell to its knees. The brown haired boy leapt to the side of the bulkily armored knight.

"Alphamon!" the boy yelped as he looked at the digimon.

Marine Angemon glared up and watched as Deathmon swept downward. Its single huge, body eye was narrowed; its clawed hands with their eyeball palms were closed and it was moving towards the knight and the boy.

"Kahuna Wave!" Marine Angemon rushed forward and release a heart shaped energy field that encapsulated the boy, the knight and himself.

Deathmon's claws crashed against the shield and then the demon retreated, opening its clawed hands and revealing the eyes in its palms. The two 'palm' eyes glowed as did the single eye that dominated Deathmon's head. Balls of light grew from the eyes and energy streams leapt from one energy sphere to the next. The streams then focused on a single spot.

"Eye Explosion!" A fat streak of lightning snaked through the air like a bloated anaconda.

Marine Angemon's shield broke and the ground exploded upwards as the energy glutted the earth. The boy bounced across the ground, the knight clattered to the ground and Marine Angemon slid across the desert.

"I shall give you my gift, my precious gift," Deathmon snarled as the demon lifted his clawed hands.

"He would have to be Lucemon's Benevolence…" Marine Angemon grumbled as he struggled to get himself up.

888

"I still hate this teleporter thing!" Ren shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Ren, we're here," Renamon said as she pointed downward. They were standing on a wooded cliff overlooking the churning waves of a digital ocean.

"So…where's this Karma Jewel-y-deal thingy?" Ren asked as she peered over the edge of the cliff.

"If I had to guess," Renamon walked up behind her partner. "I suspect it's in the ocean."

"What?" Ren jumped and turned around to the lithe, golden fox behind her. "In the ocean! How are we supposed to do anything about anything if it's in the ocean?"

"That is a good question," Renamon said in an exasperated tone.

"I suppose we should look into it…but how are we supposed to get down there?" Ren got closer to the edge.

The soft rock crumbled under the Ren's foot and she slid downward. Renamon claws snapped outward but only grasped air. The black haired girl tumbled downward towards the craggy, white granite rocks that littered the beach below.

"REN!" Renamon dove downward and swept her arms back as she phased in and out of her fox void trying to get closer to the falling girl.

Renamon phased in front of Ren and twisted around, opening her arms. She closed her arms around the girl and curled up into a ball as she smashed into the rocks below. Renamon groaned slightly as she unfurled from her curl. Ren sat up and rolled off her vulpine partner.

"Are you ok?" Ren looked back to the fox. The golden furred kitsune slowly rose to her feet and shook the dust from her body.

"I am fine," The fox said in a very proud manner, slightly lifting her nose in an arrogant way.

"Are you sure?" Ren looked at the fox intensely, almost critiquing every strand of golden fur on its body. She shivered as a gold, salty, humid breeze blew off of the ocean. The waves were crashing down on the large, white granite boulders that littered the beach. "If you're injured, tell me…"

"He's already here…" Renamon said, interrupting Ren. Renamon walked past Ren and down the craggy beach to where the ocean reached up to the beach and played gently at the fox's feet.

"Who is?" Ren asked as she bounded down the rocky beach.

"The Elemental Guardian…" Renamon said as she glared out over the surface of the ocean.

Suddenly the surface bloomed upward in a dome of seawater. A black stream of energy fired into the sky.

"What the…?" Ren stumbled backward as the ground shook.

"The stone's seal is broken," Renamon said with a frown. "I'm sensing something…."

The black beam of energy shifted and the sound of a massive beast roaring escaped the energy field. A pair of red eyes burned from the darkness.

"Sky Wave!" An undulating, twisting, rainbow fired from the darkness.

Renamon turned around, grabbed Ren and leapt into the air. The beach exploded as the wave tore into the rocks, melting them and making them bubble into liquid lava. Renamon perched herself and Ren on a stony outcropping of the cliff. Renamon winced slightly after the landing but Ren didn't take any notice. Ren and Renamon looked up into the darkened sky.

The sky was filled with a large, blue serpent. The creature twisted and curled around in the air. Its body was covered in heavy, blocky scales. Its stunted snout was opened and its fangs were bared.

"What is that thing?" Ren gasped as she looked up at the large serpent.

"GigaSeadramon," Renamon grumbled, narrowing her blue eyes. "This is not good…"

"Sky Wave!" roared the dragon firing a wild shot into the sky. The air flickered as the rainbow beam explosively belched up thousands of colored combined, ionized particles.

"What the heck's wrong with him?" Ren shouted looking up at the blocky, armored beast. "He's not even shooting at us!"

"And this is a bad thing?" Renamon said sardonically.

"Well, no, but…" Ren glared up at the sky, "I don't like being ignored…"

"Then prepare for some attention," Renamon growled as she glared down at the beach.

A lumbering red armored form dragged itself out of the breaking waves. The crimson armored beast stomped its metal cloven hands on the steaming, re-solidified, glassy rock. A small, domed head was nestled between two huge, bulging shoulders. The front of the shoulders had small barreled cannons pointing forward but the top of the shoulders was perched the real fire power, high intensity Mugen Cannons. The hulking, forward hunched upper torso was attached to a stout, four-legged body, like the body of a red armored rhinoceros. A heavy, armored plated tail swished behind the four-legged body.

"Is that…?" Ren gulped. She couldn't remember much from that day at the Citadel of Light but this red beast did figure into some of her memory flashes.

"It is…Suijinmon, Elemental Guardian of Water," Renamon clenched her three fingered hand into a fist.

"Sky Wave!" GigaSeadramon roared. Renamon instantly looked up. The giant sea serpent was firing again, this time at Suijinmon.

The heavily armored, rhinoceros-like digimon hunkered down, bracing its hoof-ended arms against the glassy rock. Renamon grasped Ren and prepared to jump if their outcropping collapsed under the barrage.

"Mugen Cannon!" Suijinmon's form disappeared into the blaze of rainbow energy, but high energy blasts fired from his cannons, breaking through the wash of psychedelic energy.

GigaSeadramon took three shots to the chin. The sea serpent rolled backward and released a howling roar.

"What's going on? I thought these Elemental Guardians were freeing these Destiny Stone digimon," Ren looked up to Renamon. "Why are they fighting?"

Renamon leapt further up the cliff face. "I don't know, but we better get involved, I don't like how this is feeling…"

"But if you're hurt…" Ren blinked looking at Renamon.

"That is inconsequential, now," The fox said walking to the edge of her new perch. She looked back to Ren. "I am fine…"

"If you say so…" Ren said as she gripped the small, white digivice hooked to her jeans.

"And, I'm doing it for you…" Renamon said as she jumped over the edge.

"For me…?" Ren reached out for the fox, but Renamon was already over the edge. "RENAMON!"

888

"There he is!" Grademon shouted as he sprinted alongside a gliding Paildramon.

"That's the one that hurt you," Haru growled as he looked up from the bronze armored knight's back, whilst he gripped the knight's huge shoulder spines.

"Kisho said that his name was Fuujinmon," Taku shouted down to Haru. "Isn't that right?"

"He's fast, so be careful, Grademon, you too Jiro," Haru shouted as he looked over to his blonde haired little brother.

"Haru, don't ignore me!" Taku shouted.

"Why isn't he attacking?" Jiro asked as he looked at the lithe, green android digimon.

The green chrome-digizoid armored digimon was standing next to an egg-shaped stone with a golden seal on it. The rock was resting in the middle of a valley crisscrossed by airfield landing strips. The thin digimon lifted an arm with an energy blade at the end of it.

"He's going to break the seal!" Taku shouted. "Paildramon, do something!"

"Right…Cable Catcher!" Paildramon thrust one of his arms forward releasing the tethered claws held in his black gauntlet.

The claws sliced through empty air as Fuujinmon's image flickered and disappeared. The slender digimon appeared in the air. It flexed its arm and sliced through the air with his orange energy blade.

"Malt Cyclone!" A twisting, red wind ripped through the air and smashed into the seal on the Destiny Stone.

The golden belt of metal cracked and then shattered. A massive stream of plasma erupted from the stone as Fuujinmon dropped gracefully to the ground; his nimble legs bent slightly.

Paildramon and Grademon slid to a stop as the energy amassed in the sky. It was greenish black in color though fragments of auroral colorations breaking through the black and green energy.

"What is that?" Jiro asked as he looked upward towards the cloud hanging leadenly in the sky.

"A whole bag of bad, Jiro, a whole bag of bad…" Taku answered as he watched rays of white light break through the darkness.

"So you're gathering yourself an army to take over the world, huh?" Haru shouted to Fuujinmon. The green digimon was standing under the cloud, watching its surface slowly eroding away. "You and Arkadimon!"

"No," Fuujinmon looked down at Haru. "Not an army, not even an ally…"

"Then what then?" Haru growled, glaring at the green android.

"You'll see, when it's time," Fuujinmon said with a smug superiority. "After all, I am just here as a spectator…"

"Tell me!" Haru shouted.

"Ooo, my, my, quite the insistent one isn't he?" Fuujinmon said folding his arms. "bit on the snippy side, and hard nosed and rather annoying…"

"You got it…" Taku snorted with a nod.

"HEY!" Haru shouted turning his head to Taku, "You switching sides again?"

"I'm not even going to validate that with an answer," Taku growled angrily.

"Ooo, strife…how dramatic!" Fuujinmon quipped as he watched the two.

"Oh, will you shut up?" Taku and Haru shouted back to the Elemental Guardian.

"Uh, guys…" Jiro gulped and pointed.

"Not now," Haru shushed Jiro, as he turned his attention back to Taku, "Well, Taku, are you going to side with Fuujinmon? Why not go back to Arkadimon?"

"Haru, will you shut up and look at what your brother's trying to show you?" Taku growled as he looked up at the sky.

Haru turned his head. The black cloud was gone, replaced with a brilliant, flowing, shimmering fog of spectral light. Paildramon and Grademon both took a step back as a loud, screeching, avian roar seared the sky. It was like the luminous mist was sucked into the roarer's lungs.

The creature was a huge six-winged bird.

"What is that thing?" Jiro gasped as the aircraft-carrier sized bird glided over their heads.

"A really, really big representation of a six-winged Archaeopteryx," Haru gaped as he saw the huge lizard-bird swing around.

Its feathery-scaled tail swept gracefully behind its body as its luminous pinkish white wings. Its toothed beak opened again, releasing another bone shattering screech much like an eagle's.

"Meet, Valdurmon," Fuujinmon shouted lifted his arms to the huge bird. "Legendary inheritor of Lucemon's purity!"

"What's that imply?" Haru growled looking back to Fuujinmon.

"Anything it sees as impure will be destroyed," Taku and Jiro said almost simultaneously. "It will find everything impure…and will destroy everything…"

"How do you guys know…?" Haru looked over at his brother and the Child of Darkness.

"It's like it was burned into our minds…the answer to that question," Taku said quietly. "Like, that very concept was downloaded into our minds…"

"Maybe it has to do with our crests," Jiro said looking down at the tags hung around his neck, "Or maybe…it has to do with our digimon…or maybe…"

"Maybe it has to do with Rodan coming right for us!" Taku interrupted.

"Aurora Undulations!" A ring of energy swooped down from Valdurmon's six wingtips and then condensed at the mouth of the huge bird. A single blast of spectral energy tore forward.

Paildramon was caught in the blast of energy and almost instantly split into Magnamon and ExVeemon. The golden armored knight crashed to the ground and ExVeemon roared in agony as his flesh burned.

The two children who were partners of the component digimon also fell to the ground with a bounce and a tumble. Taku hissed as he rubbed his arms.

"This is not good…" Taku grumbled as he looked up at the looming form of Valdurmon hovering over him.

888

"Ocean Love!" A crimson beam of light fired from Marine Angemon's heart emblem.

Deathmon growled as it retreated against the assault of love. The eye-faced demon swept away from the attack letting the beams of energy glance off of his black, olive-like flesh.

"Insufferable little pixie!" Deathmon snarled as it curled around and pointed his clawed hands downward. "Death Arrow!"

"Kahuna Wave!" A pinkish shield appeared in front of Marine Angemon. The arrows of death-energy exploded against the shield; they were soon followed by many more. Each one cracked the shield a little more.

"Alphamon, are you ok?" Kisho whispered into the black knight's ear.

"That thing is more powerful than it looks," Alphamon replied as he rose to his feet.

"That thing…" Marine Angemon growled as another barrage of Death Arrows glanced across Marine Angemon's shield, "…is Deathmon. He is the Benevolence of Lucemon…he hungers for everyone to die, because….he thinks that life is too painful for the living!"

"Well, that's…not cool," Kisho said looking up at the demon as it continued to fire upon Marine Angemon.

"Always this philosophical then?" Marine Angemon shouted as the Kahuna Wave shielding started to crumble.

"I don't have to take this from a little pixie!" Kisho retorted angrily.

"You do when this _pixie_ is the only thing between you and Deathmon!" Marine Angemon spat back.

"Not for long!" Kisho sniped back at Marine Angemon.

"Look! I'm not the one hiding behind a shield made by someone else, and then teasing that other person!" Marine Angemon shouted turning around, and as the small marine angel turned the shield disappeared.

"Uh guys…" Alphamon gulped as an arsenal of arrows fired towards them.

"Dang it!" Marine Angemon yelped as he flung himself back around, "You made me loose my concentration! Kahuna Wave!"

The shield reappeared just in time to take a battering from Deathmon's firepower. Kisho crossed his arms and huffed as the shield took more beatings.

"We can't stay back here forever," Kisho said venomously, glaring at Marine Angemon.

"Well, then, get on with it," Marine Angemon grunted as another wave of arrows exploded across the face of his heart-shaped, pink shield. "I can't hold him forever!"

"Alphamon, let's return Deathmon's gift…" Kisho gritted his teeth and glared up at the demon.

"Gotcha," Alphamon took up strong, wall like stance and held out his arm with his palm open, "Digitalize of Soul!"

A green aura swarmed around the knight's hand and condensed into a ball in his palm. A beam fired from the ball. Deathmon saw the beam and dodged it sweeping downward, diving towards Marine Angemon's shield.

"So you want to play it that way…eh?" Marine Angemon narrowed his eyes.

"Blitz Arm!" Deathmon stopped and arched backward as lavender electrical energy swarmed over the demon's body.

Deathmon crashed to the ground. Marine Angemon, Kisho and Alphamon looked up in shock. A wide-chested, beige, robotic digimon was walking forward. Its arms were thick and looked as if they'd be muscular if it was a flesh and blood creature. It shoulders were barrels with domed fronts. One shoulder bore the minus symbol; the other should bore the plus symbol. A second set of barrels were attached to the shoulders. These had headlight-like fronts though they were orange. The creature's small head was nestled in the chest armor, barely clearing the collar of the chest. A single lightning bolt like crest adorned the small round head.

"Thanks buddy," Kisho waved at the digimon as it continued to walk towards him. "You really got him. He looks like he's out cold…"

Kisho stepped forward.

"Don't," Marine Angemon swept in front of Kisho, "He's not what he seems…"

"Destroy him," the digimon said sternly, pointing at Deathmon.

"What?" Kisho blinked and shook his head. "Destroy Deathmon?"

"Yes," the digimon said in frustration. "Destroy the demon before it awakens!"

"Why?" Kisho narrowed his eyes. If there was one thing he hated, it was being told to do something without given a reason.

"Isn't it obvious?" The new digimon said looking at Kisho sharply.

"Not really," Kisho replied with aggravation. "Yeah, he's supposed to be this big bad thing and whatnot…but does that really demand he be destroyed? He's sleeping couldn't we just re-seal him?"

"This guy freed Deathmon," Marine Angemon narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" Alphamon growled as he put his hands on the hilt of his sword.

"I am Raijinmon, Elemental Guardian of Lightning," the digimon said stoically. Alphamon unsheathed his holy sword but Raijinmon took a step back. "I wish you no harm, digi-destined child, right now. Your injury is not my desire. I wish you to destroy this demon though…"

"Are you nuts?" Kisho shouted. "You freed him! Why free him; if you just want him killed?"

"Those questions are not for me to answer, human," Raijinmon replied, frankly.

"Well, I'm not doing it," Kisho said crossing his arms.

"You haven't a choice, once he awakens he will endeavor to destroy you," Raijinmon replied, looking down at Deathmon's prone form. "From here every city, village, and farm he comes across will be massacred. He won't stop until everything in this world is dead, or dying. If you wish to survive, if you wish to protect this world, then you will acquiesce to my request."

"You do it," Kisho spat, venomously.

"I am but an observer, I am not supposed to interfere," Raijinmon stated.

"You did though, didn't you?" Marine Angemon said, coyly, flying up to the mechanical digimon, haughtily. "You zapped him, so now…you may as well finish him off!"

"I only interfered to protect Alphamon and the digi-destined," Raijinmon said, as he walked past Marine Angemon. "I am to ensure the digi-destined destroys the sealed beasts within the Destiny Stones." Raijinmon lifted one of his bulky, black chromed hands. Lavender streaks of lightning flickered over the chrome as Raijinmon closed the hand into a fist and pointed it at Kisho. He turned his head to Alphamon. "Destroy Deathmon, or the child will die…"

"Alphamon, don't you dare," Kisho growled looking up at Raijinmon. "He wouldn't dare kill me; if he killed me, then Deathmon will never get destroyed by 'a digi-destined'. So stay your ground…this is what they call a Mexican Standoff."

"You forget, there are other digi-destined out there," Raijinmon calmly stated. "They will eventually be able to do what you can. Though it is inconvenient to wait that long and quite heinous an act to allow Deathmon free reign for that long, I can wait…you however, cannot." Raijinmon turned his head to Alphamon. "Destroy the demon, or your partner will be killed. Don't try to be heroic, my weapon systems are primed and I can open fire on your partner before you can slice this arm off. Your choices are slim. I suggest you choose the one that includes the least casualties."

"Alphamon…" Kisho looked up at the knight, "You can't do this, it's not what Gennai and the others wanted us to do…"

"I don't have a choice…" the knight replied as he lifted his sword.

"Then let me open the opportunities! Ocean Love!" Marine Angemon fired a bolt into the back of Raijinmon. The robot digimon lurched forward and he fired his attack, but it was off kilter and zapped past Kisho's head.

"Seiken Alpha Grade!" Alphamon swung his sword forward. Raijinmon, however, was faster than his bulky body led on and easily averted being halved by the holy blade.

"This was a simple request!" Raijinmon fumed as he leapt backward and landed in the sand. "You will have to destroy him regardless! I was attempting to assist you…and now you will have a difficult fight…for the demon awakens!"

Deathmon lurched upward on his legs. His giant eye in the middle of his face blinked and then he let out a growl as his wings fanned open.

"That's fine with me!" Kisho shouted at the beige android. "I prefer fighting my enemies while they are conscious! Only a coward stabs his enemy while he sleeps!"

A small pack on Raijinmon's back hummed and the Elemental Guardian rose into the air. "The chivalry you have is admirable, but it is also folly. A true warrior does not turn away the opportunity opened by an ally!"

"Well that shows you two things!" Kisho clenched his fists, "Firstly, I'm not a warrior! Secondly, you're not our ally!"

"It shows me one thing. You are dead…" Deathmon rose up to his full height and looked down at Kisho with his one eye. His hands opened revealing two more of the optical orbs, blinking at the boy from the demon's palms. "Accept my gift of everlasting death…" The palms' eyes glowed with energy. "You shall find serenity, and peace. No more shall you feel the pains of hunger or the tiredness of exhaustion. No more worries, no more fears, no more lost loves or embarrassments. The sadness, the anger, it all ends right here, right now…"

"No!" Kisho shouted. He glared into the shining lights, so white and pure in the eyes nestled in the demon's palms. "I'm not a coward! Cowards die for those reasons! Cowards crumble under those pressures! The brave, they live on because of the strife and pain and sorrow. They live to fight the challenges and to grasp the happiness between the tears! I don't want to die!"

"Denying the pain inside does not change the fact it is there," Deathmon said quietly in a hushed whisper. "I will excise it…Death Arrow!"

"SEIKEN ALPHA GRADE!" Alphamon charged through the arrows, his glowing broadsword drawn. Holy metal contacted blackened demon flesh. Deathmon howled as his olive-like flesh melted away from the blade and he was cleaved in two.

"Thank you," Raijinmon said with a nod. He lifted his hand and a clear orb materialized in his hand. The energy from Deathmon's dying body flowed into the sphere. The orb glowed and a Raijinmon's chest opened and the orb flew into Raijinmon. The beige android half-heartedly saluted Kisho and Alphamon and then turned. "See you, later."

"You aren't going anywhere!" Marine Angemon shouted. The pixie's diminutive wings flapped as fast as they could as his small, sprig for arms flailed. "You can't destroy the seal on a Destiny Stone and lackadaisically release Deathmon and get away with it!"

"Oh…really?" Raijinmon said lazily. The turbines perched on top of his shoulders glowed, "Elekugel!" Two, electrical bolas fired down exploding into Marine Angemon, catching the pixie in the energy and continued downward.

"Get behind me, Kisho!" Alphamon announced as he swept in front of the brunette haired boy, his cape flying behind his heavily armored body.

The lightning blast struck Alphamon's chest and the knight staggered backward and dropped to one knee. With a final grunt Alphamon glowed, reverting to Dorimon with Marine Angemon lying on top of the small, purple ball of fur. Marine Angemon was knocked out cold. Kisho looked up, quickly, but Raijinmon was gone.

"I'm sorry," Dorimon whimpered as he struggled out from under Marine Angemon. "Raijinmon got away, I should've just let loose with the Digitalize of Soul…"

"Don't worry, I have a feeling we'll see him again," Kisho said with a frown. He looked down at Marine Angemon, "Let's take the pixie with us…he may need medical attention…"

Kisho knelt down and picked up Marine Angemon and Dorimon and turned, walking back towards the remote teleporter pad.

888

Ren took a step back as Cyberdramon swept upward on rising air currents. The black dragon with crimson wings hovered above the black haired girl. Cyberdramon's featureless facemask turned, inclining towards Ren. Cyberdramon then turned and flew upwards towards GigaSeadramon.

"Something's not right…" Ren grumbled as she watched the muscular dragon glide away.

Suijinmon and GigaSeadramon were still trading blows. However, Suijinmon was taking more of a battering than the giant, airborne sea dragon. Ren still didn't know why the two were fighting. If Suijinmon was the one that broke the seal on the Destiny Stone, then one would think GigaSeadramon would be grateful.

Cyberdramon was weaving through the crossfire, as she traced a path towards GigaSeadramon. Renamon seemed to think that the sea monster was the bigger of the two threats and inclined to assist Suijinmon destroy it. Down below the beach was little more than molten granite and sand. Portions of it had cooled to a burnt, black glass, others bubbled and fumed as recently made craters steamed with excess heat.

Ren saw a flicker of green and heard Cyberdramon's voice shout out the attack. Small, raindrops of green energy flew upwards, splashing against GigaSeadramon's armor. The dragon seemed oblivious to the strikes of the small black dragon; in fact, GigaSeadramon curled around and flew right past the position Cyberdramon's attacks originated, as it made a strafing run against Suijinmon. The small stream of energy bolts seemed to chase after GigaSeadramon's head as the dragon curled and rolled through the air attacking Suijinmon and conversely dodging attacks from the centaur-like, red fortress.

GigaSeadramon flew overhead. Ren could see the huge serpent's underside, covered in golden, segmented pieces of armor that gave the dragon the look of a legless centipede. Cyberdramon flew alongside the sea dragon, maintaining a position at the midpoint of the serpent's body. Bolts of emerald dimensional energy fired from Cyberdramon's clawed hands, riveting against the stubborn armor of GigaSeadramon with little or no noticeable effect on the blocky shielding.

"Cyberdramon!" Ren called out loudly waving her hands. "You have to strike at something soft!"

Cyberdramon grunted as it swept its wings back and pushed itself forward through the air. Cyberdramon rose and swept over the blocky, segmented serpent. Gigadramon was curling back around.

"Desolation Claw!" Cyberdramon roared with Renamon's voice. Pulses of green energy flew from the dragon's cupped hands. Ren watched as GigaSeadramon's head emerged over the cliff. The bolts of energy exploded across the giant sea serpent's eyes.

This elicited an angry howl and the dragon to rise up. It snarled angrily as it looked down at the black gnat that had attacked it. GigaSeadramon weaved around the much smaller Cyberdramon. It opened its squared snout.

"Sky Wave!" A stream of rainbow-like colors smashed into Cyberdramon.

The Ultimate digimon was overpowered by the flood of color. The color exploded into the cliff face. Ren covered her head as chunks of rock fell from above. After the dust settled, Ren looked up. First she saw the head, and then the chest and then rest of Cyberdramon limply roll out of the dent GigaSeadramon made into the cliff. The black, dragon twirled as it fell from the ground, its wings fluttering uselessly as the air pushed past the crimson webbed airfoils. Ren leapt back, putting her back against the rock of the cliff as Cyberdramon crashed down in front of her.

GigaSeadramon snorted in annoyance and turned back to Suijinmon. The red Elemental Guardian was making heavy, metal hoofed tracks towards the ocean.

"Cyberdramon!" Ren hopped forward, kneeling next to the dragon. "Are you ok?" The black flesh had blotches of red where the skin had burned. Scraps crisscrossed Cyberdramon's body and hunks of rock had embedded themselves in the dragon's skin. The dragon groaned and shifted its head slightly. Ren ran her fingers over the sleek, metallic faceplate. "Oh, why didn't I make you stay behind…?"

"Not, your fault…" Cyberdramon grunted between clenched teeth.

"Don' tell me that!" Ren shouted. She held Cyberdramon's chin, "You idiot, you ran off saying it was for me…how am I not to think it's my fault?"

"Ren…" Cyberdramon grumbled.

"No!" Ren glared down at the dragon through puddles of tears. "I don't want you to go off getting yourself killed for me! I care about you too much, and if you cared about me you wouldn't pull these kinds of stunts! You could've been killed going off like that when you're injured!"

GigaSeadramon fired bolt after bolt of energy into the sea. The ocean was boiling now. GigaSeadramon was howling in the sky as it twisted around searching for any signs of Suijinmon.

"I have to fight…" Cyberdramon replied, quietly. "It is part of me… If I am injured, if I am killed, then I know I lived a life to the fullest…to finally meet an enemy I could not defeat…"

"What about me?" Ren retorted as she laid her head down on the dragons, upper chest. "I don't want you to fight, because…I love you. You aren't alone in this…I thought you realized that!"

"You are my partner…" Cyberdramon grunted under her breath.

"I'm more than that," Ren sat up and looked down at Cyberdramon. "I'm your friend, and I care too much about you to let you do this anymore. We can run away, let Suijinmon deal with that snake…We'll go back and get you some medicine."

"But Giga…"

"I don't care! I want you safe first…" Ren said, as she grabbed Cyberdramon's clawed hand with her two hands.

A raspberry light flowed from Ren's hands to Cyberdramon's hand and rushed across the dragon's body. Ren released Cyberdramon and staggered backward. The black dragon sat up straight and looked to Ren.

"The Crest of Love is glowing…" Cyberdramon stated, nodding to Ren's chest.

Ren looked down. The green light from the Crest of Sincerity glimmered through the brighter red light surrounding the heart-engraved Crest of Love. Ren looked up at Cyberdramon.

"Your burns are gone…" Ren said whispered. She sniffed and rubbed her nose. "Does this mean…that you can…?"

"I believe so," Cyberdramon lowered her head slightly in a gentle inclination. "That is if you want me to."

"Will you get hurt?" Ren asked looking up at the dragon.

"I can't promise I won't," Cyberdramon said quietly. Ren looked down and closed her eyes. A clawed hand cupped under Ren's chin and lifted the girl's head. "I will promise I will try to not get hurt."

Cyberdramon drew her hand from Ren and stood up. Ren looked up at the dragon and nodded quietly.

"Go…" Ren said, as she looked down at the two glowing crests on her chest.

The red light swam over Cyberdramon's body as she took off. "Cyberdramon Mega Digivolve to…" The black, muscular arms flashed as greenish, gauntlets burned onto them. The steel faceplate became an emerald helmet with three small horns on it. The wings flashed into two greenish shields with both the teardrop and heart symbols of Ren's crests. Red armor covered the front of the digimon's torso, taking a mould to fit Cyberdramon's feminine features as did a red armored skirt. "….WarGreymon!"

The Mega digimon streaked through the sky, leaving a raspberry colored contrail behind her as she jetted toward GigaSeadramon. The massive serpent was still busy searching for Suijinmon and didn't notice WarGreymon closing on it. That changed though. There was a flash of red light as WarGreymon slammed into the side of GigaSeadramon's head. The giant sea dragon roared as it jerked backward. WarGreymon swept backward. She was a small, red and green fly compared to the gigantic curling, sea dragon. The dragon howled angrily and then dove for WarGreymon. The warrior dragon in the green armor evaded the dive and then jetted away with GigaSeadramon giving chase.

WarGreymon roared over Ren's head, literally burning the sky with speed. GigaSeadramon wasn't far behind though, with its mouth wide open. The bipedal dragon warrior pulled up and circled vertically, coming down behind GigaSeadramon. The sea dragon swung around, howling in rage. The howl sounded liked metal twisting and binding on itself.

"Sky Wave!" A twisting burst of color seared towards WarGreymon.

WarGreymon swept the shields on its back around and the blast glanced of the shields. WarGreymon replaced the shields and brought her hands together.

"Terra FORCE!" A giant ball of emerald energy swirled up between WarGreymon's hands.

GigaSeadramon charged forward as WarGreymon released the ball of energy. The sea serpent arched backward as the ball crashed into its blunt snout. GigaSeadramon rose up like a viper preparing to strike, glaring down at WarGreymon.

"Giga Sea Destroyer!" GigaSeadramon opened its mouth. A giant ball of white energy formed in the dragon's mouth. The orb of light fired downward with a white tail behind it.

"Grand Tornado!" WarGreymon spun into a giant green column of energy and corkscrewed towards the ball of light. WarGreymon and the Giga Sea Destroyer collided and the sky erupted into blinding white light.

"RENAMON!" Ren screamed as she stared into the light until she couldn't stand it and looked away.

GigaSeadramon howled. Ren looked up. GigaSeadramon was writhing as hunks of its blue armor rained down. WarGreymon was hovering behind the massive sea dragon. The snake was crashing towards the earth, segments of its body dissembling into data packets. The dust was streaming downwards towards the beach. Ren ran to end of edge of the outcropping. The ocean was bunched up in columns, and portions of the sea floor were exposed and there stood Suijinmon. The data was gathering into a small sphere.

"WarGreymon, get Suijinmon!" Ren shouted pointing down at the red digimon.

"Right!" WarGreymon nodded and dive-bombed towards the red tank.

"Mugen Cannon!" The heavy cannons on the top of the red digimon's shoulders flared to life.

Four bolts struck WarGreymon in the chest, sending the dragon warrior backwards head over heels. WarGreymon snarled and turned to try another attack when the columns of ocean collapsed covering Suijinmon and the seafloor. The water was tumultuous and was eddying too much see where the Elemental Guardian was. WarGreymon turned and flew back to Ren.

"He got away," the dragon warrior stated as she touched down in front of Ren.

"That's ok," Ren said as she looked up at the Mega digimon. "Let's go back home…tsh, listen to me acting like the Order's fortress is home…"

"I can fly us back," WarGreymon said, as she put her hand on her scorched breast plate and winced.

"Just to the top of the cliff," Ren said pointing upward, "We'll teleport back…"

"But you hate the teleport," WarGreymon replied looking down at the girl, surprised.

"There's worse things," was all Ren said as she hugged WarGreymon. The warrior dragon lifted the girl up and flew upwards and away.

888

Valdurmon was closing in on him and Taku could see the reptilian teeth that lined the giant, six-winged bird's beak. Taku gulped as the giant bird's mouth got larger. Suddenly, Taku felt two strong arms grab him from behind. He was jerked into the air, pulling away from the oncoming maw of Valdurmon.

Taku looked up. ExVeemon was holding him in his muscular gray arms. The dragon's white wings were flapping hard and the dragon twisted, to face forward. The ground blurred beneath Taku as ExVeemon put on the speed. Taku blinked several times trying to moisten his eyes and looked around for Jiro. He quickly spotted the yellow flash of Magnamon.

"He's gaining on us," ExVeemon grumbled.

Taku looked back. The bird was indeed closer, but there was more. It wasn't something he'd noticed before, but now he was closer he saw it, a faint shimmer of light like a haze of color that was so dim and unspectacular that far away was unnoticeable.

"What is that?" Taku growled as he looked at the shifting colors.

"More important things here, Taku," ExVeemon shouted as he veered sharply to the left.

"What are you doing?" Taku shouted as he saw Magnamon and Jiro come into view.

"Can't DNA digivolve without Magnamon," ExVeemon shouted back and thrust his wings back.

"You can't DNA digivolve with Valdurmon riding our tails either!" Taku growled as he looked up. "Jiro and Magnamon could get killed!"

"Oh I'm so glad your worrying about them!" ExVeemon snarled. "However…we've got our own tail to worry about!"

"Yeah, I know, however our tail and their tail are kind of connected!" Taku returned as he looked forward.

"Magna Blast!" Magnamon stepped forward and released a wave of missiles from the gun ports on his large shoulder plates.

ExVeemon, almost on cue, rose into the air over the attack. Taku looked behind him. Valdurmon charged into the attack. The missiles glowed red and then evaporated before hitting the bird.

"ExVeemon!" Taku shouted as he watched Valdurmon screech towards Magnamon and Jiro.

"V-…." ExVeemon crossed his arms.

"Grade Slash!" A wash of fire and wind curled in front of Valdurmon.

The stream of flame smashed itself into Valdurmon, except that the attack never struck the bird. A wavy bubble evaporated the attack. A bronze knight in a blue cape swept in front of Magnamon.

"Brother!" Jiro said in shock as he gaped at the back of the older blonde haired boy.

Haru didn't have time to react though as Valdurmon smashed beak first into Grademon, knocking the blonde off of the knight's shoulders and onto the ground. Magnamon turned and dove to the ground, dragging Jiro with him. The younger blonde grunted as the golden royal knight's heavy armor pinned him to the ground. ExVeemon dropped down behind the two blondes and Magnamon. Taku jumped down and ran to Haru.

"Are you ok?" Taku asked and knelt down, extending his hand to Haru.

The blonde slapped the hand away and sat up rubbing his lower back. "Jiro, are you ok?"

"I'm fine…" the younger Samson brother said as Magnamon helped him to his feet. "What about Grademon?"

"He got hit by Valdurmon," Taku said as he looked upward. The large bird was rising into the sky. A speck was tumbling to earth under the bird. "But there's a bigger problem."

"What?" Jiro asked as he walked up next to Taku. The black haired boy looked down to Haru. Jiro looked to his older brother as well.

"You saw it, too," Taku grunted as he watched Haru slowly get to his feet.

"Mmm…" Was the blonde's only response; he walked past Jiro and Taku.

"Saw what?" Jiro yelped, hating to be left out.

"There is a shield…a barrier of some sort surrounding Rodan here," Taku said as he glared at Haru. "Our attacks aren't getting through…"

"Purge Shine," The children spun around, as did ExVeemon and Magnamon. The speaker was the lithe, green Fuujinmon.

"I thought you left," Haru shouted glaring at the digimon.

"I told you, I am a spectator…" Fuujinmon stated calmly. "I am supposed to watch…I can't do that if I leave."

Haru glared at the green digimon. "So why are you watching us?"

"All will be revealed," Fuujinmon remarked as he looked up. "Well, I hope so, because here comes Valdurmon…."

The giant bird was diving down again, but not towards Taku and the others. Valdurmon was after Grademon. The bronze swordsman was running as fast as he can. The bird was driving after him, flying a few feet above the ground, screeching as it closed on Grademon.

"We have to get Grademon out of there," Taku shouted as he looked up to ExVeemon. "He'll get crushed…"

"Grademon can handle this," Haru growled, giving Taku a sidelong look.

"Are you nuts?" Taku shouted. "The bird has a shield! Even if we threw everything we had at it, I doubt it would notice!"

"Aurora Undulations!" A snaking spectral blast exploded from the bird's mouth. The earth burnt as the blast curved out canals. Fuujinmon disappeared in a spiral of wind as the burning wave of aurora-like light sped towards Haru and the digi-destined.

ExVeemon and Magnamon took flight lifting Jiro, Haru and Taku into the air, it wasn't enough though. The bird literally slipped under the two Champions, but the energy field around the bird smashed into the flying digimon. ExVeemon and Taku howled as the energy from the barrier enveloped them. The dragon crashed to the ground in a heap, with Taku. Magnamon crashed to the ground disoriented and dizzy but undamaged. The huge avian beast curled back around. It screeched loudly as it looked down at the digi-destined and the Champion digimon around them.

Grademon suddenly dropped down in front of the children, having evidently leapt over them from behind. His cape was smoking and portions of it had holes burnt through it. The armor was deformed and steaming. The knight held up a pair of swords.

"Get him, Grademon," Haru coughed as he stood up.

"We need to get out of here," Taku grabbed Haru and spun him around. The blue eyed, blonde haired boy looked into the dark colored eyes of Taku. Taku narrowed his eyes, "At least think of your little brother. You have to protect him, that's your responsibility…"

"I am!" Haru growled yanking himself from Taku. "I'll destroy Valdurmon, and Jiro will be safe. Unlike you, I don't run away from my responsibilities, if you want to run, go ahead. That's why I wanted Jiro with me…at least one person would be worried about my brother…"

"Cross Blade!" Grademon sliced the two swords he held across one another. A swirling ball of wind and fire roared forward and exploded in front of Valdurmon. The air around the bird rippled as the shield around Valdurmon nullified the attack.

"Damn it! Let's get out of here now!" Taku shouted angrily.

"No! I can do this!" Haru snarled. "Again Grademon!"

"Grade Slash!" another stream of wind and fire erupted against Valdurmon's shield evaporating into nothing.

"It's useless, you idiot!" Taku growled clenching his fists.

"Aurora Undulations!" Valdurmon opened its beak and fired a bolt of color at the digi-destined.

Grademon jumped in front of the blast and flew backwards crashing down behind the children and their digimon. Haru ran to the swordsman. Jiro and Taku followed.

"Are you ok?" Haru asked quickly.

"I've…felt better," winced the knight as he felt his stomach.

Taku and Jiro looked back. Magnamon and ExVeemon had engaged the large bird but to little effect. Valdurmon charged forward smashing them both against the energy barrier surrounding itself. ExVeemon crumpled rolling across the ground. Valdurmon caught Magnamon with his clawed feet and smashed the royal knight into the earth and then tossed Magnamon on top of ExVeemon.

"Stay here…" Taku said glaring back to Jiro.

Taku ran towards Magnamon and ExVeemon. He was livid. Haru was being a useless idiot, refusing to run. Valdurmon clearly outclassed them in all ways possible and Fuujinmon was still hanging around somewhere being snotty and annoying. ExVeemon clawed the ground as he rose up. Magnamon clattered to the ground and grunted.

"He's…so…strong…" ExVeemon groaned as he crawled to Taku. "That shield…feels like its sucking me dry…"

"We're getting out of here," Taku hissed as he looked up at Valdurmon. The bird was evidently pleased with its work because it was just wheeling in the air instead of finishing the job. "Can you two fly?"

"We…can," ExVeemon said flicking his wings open. He lifted into the air with some effort and picked up Taku. Magnamon levitated into the air.

"Let's go get the others…" Taku said as he looked back up to Valdurmon.

Taku grumbled under his breath as ExVeemon glided back to Grademon and the others. He was truly pissed at Haru and there was nothing he could do. He fumed angrily at Haru as ExVeemon and Magnamon touched down.

"Let me guess, you want to run away…" Haru shouted as he stood up.

"Anyone reasonable would," Taku gritted through his teeth. "Valdurmon is big, powerful and capable of turning us into shreds."

"I think we can win!" Haru growled back.

"My god, did you change brains with Kisho somewhere on the way here?" Taku shouted shaking his head in disbelief. "How many times do you have to get your can kicked before you realize, this is futile…?"

Valdurmon screeched. Taku winced one of his eyes twitching as the screech resonated in his ears. He turned his head and saw the giant, six-winged, pearl feathered bird diving towards them.

"We can win!" Haru insisted angrily. "We just need to have a digivolution!"

Valdurmon screeched again as its toothy beak opened. Taku could see the lights forming in the back of the bird's throat.

"How are we going to do that?" Jiro asked worriedly. "I think Taku is right…we should run…"

"No!" Haru spun around and shouted at Jiro. The younger of the two blondes jumped backwards and looked at his brother in shock, almost as if Haru had hit him. "We're fighting!"

"But how? Magnamon and ExVeemon can't fight him and Grademon doesn't have the power to break that shield.

"I don't know but we're fighting…" Haru replied angrily.

"AURORA UNDULATIONS!" screeched Valdurmon loudly as the colors belched forward with a twisting motion. Haru and Jiro jumped at the screech and spun around. Valdurmon was too close to run from and the attack was already halfway there.

"Haru…" Jiro whined as he looked at the twisting wave.

"Don't worry; we won't die…Grademon get up fast…" Haru implored as he looked to the fallen swordsman.

"What we going to do?" Jiro whimpered.

ExVeemon and Magnamon rushed towards the blast, but it was useless. The stream seemed to buck them to the side, reverting Magnamon and ExVeemon to Agumon and DemiDevimon.

"Grademon….Please…" Haru pleaded.

"WE'RE NOT DYING, DAMN IT!" Taku shouted with all the pent up rage and fury he had building in him.

He ran towards Haru and Jiro and flailed his arms out in front of the attack. The Crest of Darkness erupted with dark light Taku spun around and lifted his hand to the oncoming blast of rainbow rage that was Valdurmon's attack. A dome of darkness rose up around the children and Valdurmon's attack glanced off the darkness's dome.

"Taku!" Jiro nearly cheered, clapping his hands.

"Taku…you…" Haru looked up at the black haired boy.

"Idiot," Taku growled, turning his head slightly to Haru.

"You protected me…" Haru whispered.

"Are you a real idiot or do you just play one whenever there's a crisis?" Taku growled, looking back at the blonde haired boy. "I am your friend, you bastard, and I'm supposed to protect you because I'm your friend! I've been trying to save you from this since I realized how royally screwed we were! You just never listened, because you let that angel use your insecurities against me! I'm not like I was; I'm not going to abandon you or your brother! Are you going to listen to me this time, or do I have to beat it into your head?"

"I'm sorry, Taku," Haru looked down at Grademon. "Look at what my stupidity did…"

"Now's not the time," Taku grunted as Valdurmon fired another bolt of energy against the shield of Darkness created by Taku's crest. "I'm not even sure if I can keep this shield around, or how the hell I did it in the first place. There's no time for wussiness!"

"You're right," Haru said looking at Taku. "You've been right the whole time. I was just too pig-headed…to want to realize it. I'm sorry…I should've listened I should've…known you weren't siding with Fuujinmon…I was being a brat…and I'm sorry."

"Great, wonderful," Taku said with gritted teeth as Valdurmon released another barrage onto the dark shield.

"Hey," Jiro gasped as the little boy hopped up next to Haru. "Look, you're other crest…"

"The Crest of Knowledge?" Haru blinked and looked down at the crest.

"It's glowing!" Jiro said looking closer at the tag hanging from his brother's chest.

"It must be because I admitted I was wrong, that I admitted that I made a mistake," Haru whispered as he fingered the crest in his hands, "that would be a hallmark of knowledge…"

"Wonderful, just wonderful," Taku grunted as he glared back at Haru, "Let's discuss this...whole thing, give it a good old debate….discussing the convenience and the principles of it all to the extent of wondering if what you mentioned is really knowledge or sincerity….in the meantime I'll continue to produce magic shields out of my butt…unless you'd like to take over from here?"

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Haru gulped.

"STOP WITH THE DAMNED SORRIES!" shouted Taku.

"Grademon!" Haru spun around. The swordsman was glowing with the Crest of Knowledge. "Can you do it?"

"For you, anything…" The swordsman stated with a nod.

"Then, let's do it," Haru nodded with a smile.

"Grademon Mega digivolve to…" A golden light exploded upward, crashing through the dome of darkness into the sky. Valdurmon almost instantly retreated in surprise. The Crest of Darkness's shield flickered and then disappeared, with Taku collapsing to his knees. The sky was filled with yellow light that snaked in and out of the clouds. A large head formed covered in a bony masked with several sweeping blades of bone covering the face and branching off of the skull like bony ear-wings. The snaking body was covered by plates of brown armor with small, cream knobs decorating portions of the armor. A pair of blade-like wings sprouted out of the serpent's back. The massive dragon also had two, armored arms and bared two black gauntlets. In both clawed hands was a giant machete-like sword with a sleek, black blade. The dragon matched Valdurmon in size and thankfully level. "…OURYUUMON!"

Valdurmon glared at the dragon, suspiciously. The giant bird screeched and then charged forward. OuRyuumon curled in the air rolling around the bird with little effort. The bird swung around and screeched another horrible, bird of prey screech.

"Aurora Undulations!" A twisting river of color fired from the bird's mouth.

"Oukai!" OuRyuumon growled in its reptilian voice.

A yellow energy field appeared in front of the dragon. Valdurmon's attack poured against the shielding uselessly. The bird flapped its six wings and rose into the air, obviously flummoxed by the shield.

"Aurora Undulations!" the bird redirected its attack from a different angle. OuRyuumon's shield, however, moved, deflecting the colorful attack again.

"You can't break my shield," OuRyuumon said with a growl. "But I think I can smash yours. EISEIRYUUOUJIN!"

OuRyuumon lifted his machete swords. A golden energy swirled around the blades. OuRyuumon sliced the first machete down. The energy fired forward, taking the shape of an ethereal, golden, serpentine dragon. The energy dragon opened its fanged mouth and engulfed Valdurmon and the Purge Shine surrounding it. The bird's barrier crackled as the initial slice wore it down. OuRyuumon then sliced the second blade through the air. The first ethereal dragon's twin roared through the air and engulfed Valdurmon. The golden energy hissed and Valdurmon screeched loudly as it fell to the ground. OuRyuumon then dove forward. Valdurmon was flailing on the ground flapping its wings trying to put out the flames on its feathers. OuRyuumon sliced his machetes through the bird and it burst into streams of data.

The data packets hung in the air and then in a uniform manner flowed into the air. Haru and the other children followed the stream, until they came to the familiar form of Fuujinmon holding an orb in one of his hands.

"See, I said you'd figure it out," Fuujinmon said with a smirk.

"OuRyuumon! Get him!" Haru shouted loudly.

"Ahem…don't you have more defenseless members of your troop to worry about? Malt Cyclone!"

Fuujinmon said as he lifted his free arm and sliced his energy blade in the direction of DemiDevimon and Agumon. A spiral of crimson wind sliced its way towards the two unconscious, Rookie digimon.

"Agumon!" gulped Jiro as he jerked forward.

"OuRyuumon, cover them," yelped Haru quickly. The golden armored dragon swept in front of the spiral, but by the time he was in position to counterstrike Fuujinmon had already gathered the data.

The thin android looked down at the dragon and then to the children. "Well, I'd be lying if I said it had been fun, so I won't…Good bye…"

"No you don't!" Haru shouted, looking to the dragon. "OuRyuumon…"

"Don't bother," Taku said as he walked towards his partner. "He's already gone…"

Haru looked up and growled to himself. A wisp of wind was all that remained of Fuujinmon's presence. OuRyuumon glided down to the digi-destined. Jiro and Taku were kneeling next to their partners.

"Let's get back to Order," Haru said looking to the others.

"Haru's right, we need to get these guys to a bed," Taku said as he picked up DemiDevimon.

He turned to Jiro and helped the little boy carry his tyrannosaur partner to OuRyuumon. The dragon sheathed one of his machetes and laid his hand on the ground. The children got into the dragon's palm and with the movement of its metallic wings the dragon rose into the sky and by Haru's direction, OuRyuumon curled back around towards the Order's Fortress.

888

After supper, the digi-destined got up from the table. Most of them decided to go to bed. The Order members were still flitting about like mad. Haru looked across the table to Taku. Guilmon and DemiDevimon both looked at their partners; DemiDevimon mumbled about being exhausted and then nudged Guilmon into agreeing and left the dining room. The black haired boy only smirked and ate the last piece of a roast that the cooks had made them.

"I'm sorry, about my behavior," Haru said, sincerely. "I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, well, that's all good and fine," Taku said as he took a sip of juice from his cup. "Frankly I didn't care if you believed Metatromon or not, I am Jiro's DNA partner, so really it doesn't matter who approves. Put simply, you could still hate me and be stupid and it wouldn't phase me, however when that stupidity endangered Jiro, that's where I drew the line."

"I'm glad…that you care that much for my brother," Haru said quietly, looking down at the table. "I have to say, that truthfully, I've been, rather neglectful…Ever since my father…" Haru coughed and looked down, rubbing one of his arms, "Well, I've had to take up his position, and sometimes I forget that I'm his brother. You know?"

"Nope, not a clue," Taku said, standing up and wiping his lips with a napkin. "Though I do know what it's like to have an older brother that forgets he's your older brother. That's why I think I click with Jiro. We're kind of the same, but different, he got the good side of the coin flip and I got…the bad side…" Haru looked up at the dark eyed boy. Taku took a deep breath and faked a yawn and a stretch, "Well, I think I'm going to bed, it's been a long day and I ate a lot for supper…"

Taku walked to the doorway of the dining room and opened the door.

"Taku…" The blonde haired boy said, stopping Taku. Taku turned and looked back to Haru. The blonde smiled, "Don't worry about Katsuo. I'm sure he's fine. When we get back he'll be perfectly fine."

"Yeah, I know," Taku said quietly and he turned, leaving the room.

Haru sat there in the dining room alone. He stared at his glass filled with milk. He drank the milk in one gulp and stood up. He turned and slid the chair under the table he had been sitting at. Haru walked out of the dining room into the corridor. A couple of Order members were walking down the hall talking to one another about turbine outputs. Haru sighed and put his hands into his jeans' hip pockets and started walking.

Taku never spoke about his brother, though Jiro had mentioned the fact that Taku's older brother, Katsuo, had worked for Matadormon. He had a hard time believing that he was anything like Katsuo, but he had to admit it. He was often clouded by his responsibility to his mother or too busy protecting Jiro to notice that his little brother was growing up, regardless of whether Haru wanted him to or not.

Haru sighed and looked up. At the end of the corridor, there was something glowing softly. Haru raised an eyebrow and walked toward the glow. The glow was difficult to make out, but he could guess what it was, and he wanted to catch up to it.

Haru broke into a sprint and ran down the hall. The glow got brighter and became more defined.

"Hey! Wait!" Haru shouted to the glow. The light stopped moving and turned. Haru ran up to the figure and looked up.

The figure had long, flowing, platinum hair. A helmet covered her eyes. Pair of fluffy, dandelion-seed-like tufts was jutting out of the helmet and looked like small wings. The figure was a woman, a very voluptuous woman, in a formfitting brick-red top covering her chest and flanks. The top was decorated with golden inlaid vines and leaves that brought attention to her upper torso's accoutrements. Her taut stomach was exposed where the top cleaved and the rejoined at the top hem of her dress. Six jewels were embedded along the edge of the exposed skin with a seventh, a diamond, in her navel. Her dress was green and in two layers the first layer a lighter green than the lower darker layer. Her hands were covered by golden-clawed gauntlets and her wrists had sprouted white feathered falcon wings. All the while the six pairs of glowing wings that sprouted from her back filled the hall with light.

"What do you want, child?" the woman said with an authoritative voice, though it was laced with annoyance and venom.

"I want to say…" Haru looked up at the angel and gulped. "I want to say…"

"Child, do not waste my time," the angel fumed ever so lightly. "I am very busy and I have many things to do, least of which is talk to some insignificant child…"

"You're wrong," Haru's voice exploded. The boy looked up at the angel. Her face was stony but he could see the tautness in her jaw and the slight down curve in the corners of her lips. "Metatromon, you're wrong…Taku isn't a bad person, I don't care what kind of grudge you hold against Kurayami or Lucemon or anything else…but you are wrong about Taku. He's a good guy, he is more than acceptable to my brother, to me and to the other digi-destined, and just because his crest happens to be powered by an old chunk of some angry god…you have no right to use that to pass judgment on him!"

"Child, do not be fooled by the barer of the Crest of Darkness," the woman turned her back on Haru. "His powers will come to be your destruction. Nothing 'good' can come from him. I suggest you go to bed, before your lose all of your senses to that con-artist."

"You, you are the con-artist!" Haru shouted. The angel stopped and turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Metatromon turned around. She wasn't even trying to hide the contempt in her voice anymore in fact she didn't quite sound like herself.

"You act like you're the defender of the Digital World, but you're not!" Haru growled glaring at the angel, "You just sat back and let Arkadimon destroy the Citadel of Light! If you had wanted to, I am sure you could've destroyed Arkadimon and his 'Elemental Guardians' easily, but no, instead you drag a bunch of kids here to fight your fights for you! You're nothing but an old man hiding behind a curtain, pretending to be a great and wonderful wizard!"

"You insufferable little whelp!" Metatromon hissed angrily, closing her clawed gauntlet into a fist. "You are lucky I am too busy dealing with the defense systems of the Digital World or I'd…"

"You'd what? Say mean things to me?" Haru snarled. "Put me over your knee and give me a spanking?"

"Child, you should leave now," Metatromon seethed angrily. A chill sliced down the blonde's back. "Or else I shall do something I will regret and you will never recover from!"

"I've said what I wanted," Haru retorted, weakly and he turned and walked away.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Metatromon disappear into the shadows of the corridor. Haru didn't like the feeling he got from Metatromon. It was like a cold hand had reached through his chest and clutched his heart and icy claws had cut down his back. Haru shivered and decided that maybe he should go to bed, if only to warm himself under the covers.

**888**

**AN: It's been a long time, and I needed to kind of look back to see what had happened before, which posed a bit of a problem with the characterization. This arc has gone over quite a restructuring in my mind, which was the reason I had problems because the story was constantly changing. This chapter is more about Haru and Taku than Ren and Renamon, which is good and bad, because of course Ren comes off as getting an easy win and Haru comes off as looking a bit better at the end of the day. Originally this was to be three chapters; however, I don't think I could fill an entire chapter with just what went on with Kisho or Ren…**

**Anyways, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one, but I'm not making promises. **


	42. Moral Relativity

**I don't own digimon**

**Moral Relativity**

**888**

It was late at night. The moon had traveled across the sky and no longer illuminated the bed room. The bed's blankets shifted and a child sat up rubbing his eyes. His hand searched for a lamp bumping and colliding with the lamp stand and tabletop. The hand found the switch and the lamp clicked on, flooding the bedroom with light. The boy closed his eyes and shook his head.

He looked around him. The room was dreary looking with brickwork walls and floors. Chocolate red quilts were on his bed. He looked down at the small, blue bat digimon sleeping quietly next to him.

"What's wrong with you, Taku?" the boy grumbled to himself as he looked down at his sweating hands.

He had been having horrible nightmares as of late. He didn't know why but in the middle of the night he could swear he heard something screaming in the fortress. It was more than screaming though, it was agony and fear and anger and rage. He had a very unpleasant bout of deja-vu and slowly turned, sliding his legs off of the bed and dangling them over the edge. Taku closed his eyes. He could hear it again, the shrill shrieks, the angry yells. His feet touched the gold brick floor.

His body resented being awake and told Taku this through the twinges of muscles pinching in his shoulders and under the bridge of his feet. He quietly padded across the floor his overly wide pajama bottoms fluttering and shushing a bit as he moved. He quickly slipped on a pair of house slippers and ever so slowly clicked the heavy wooden door of his room open. He winced as the door creaked as it swung on its ancient hinges.

Taku froze as a mutter arose from his bed. He slowly turned his head and saw his partner sifted its weight on the mattress and mutter. The bat digimon didn't awaken though and Taku held back a relieved sigh and slipped out of the room gently closing the door behind him.

The fortress had a strange spirit at night. It was difficult for Taku to put a finger on, during the day there was a bustle, a rush and people scurrying about to one important task or another, but at night it was like the shadows took over, swallowing every hallway. A cold draft that never existed before now swirled down the hall ruffling Taku's hair and sending a chill up and down his back. He walked slowly forward; not really conscious of his decision.

The candles that lined the walls were ever so faint compared to the shadows lurking hungrily on the periphery of their feeble shining. Taku wasn't afraid of the dark though; he hadn't been since the time Katsuo locked him in a closet for two hours while his parents were doing "adult business". He'd learned that there were no boogeymen or hobgoblins or youkai hiding in the darkness waiting to consume him, no he'd learned that the really scary things were in the daylight where everyone could see them.

He descended a flight of bland, brown, mortar stairs. The steps curved around a middle column of masonry. The candles barely kept the shadows off of the steps, making it difficult to know where the squared edges of the stairs actually were. He staggered a few times as his ankles caught the edge of a step, throwing him off balance. He swore once or twice at the steps for being so difficult to navigate.

The growls and snarls grew louder as Taku descended the stairs. Taku stiffened slightly. Something told him not to keep going, something deep down. Taku growled to himself and shook off the feeling and continued down the stairs.

The stairs leveled off onto a floor. Taku stopped and looked at where he was. He was definitely further than he ever remembered going before, and he had done a lot of walking through the palace of the Order.

Taku often felt that the palace changed. It seemed every time he walked through the palace the corridors were different. He never seemed to take the same route twice, even to the control room, or the dinner room or the place where he and the other digi-destined would lay out after their fight with Arkadimon. Each time it was a different set of turns, one time it was right, left, right, another time it was straight, right, right, left, and a third time there wasn't even a single turn. It was like he and Haru had magically appeared at the doors to the control room, like the palace was aware of where they wanted to go and how they wanted to get there. Taku had mentioned this to the others, and though all of them had remembered a vague feeling of having not gone the same way, they believed it to be just a general feeling of unaccustomness to the fortress.

A couple of voices from one of the adjacent corridors jarred Taku out of his thoughts and the boy instantly hopped up a couple of stairs and hid in the stairwell's shadows.

"It's amazing, we're forty percent over quota…" said one of the voices; it was female. Their owners came into view. They were Order members; their beige-white robs rolled elegantly as they walked. "If we keep this up, we can give them a bit of a vacation…"

"No," Taku's eyes widened, the voice was Gennai's. "If we allow them to regain strength it won't be good."

"But…" The woman stopped and looked at her companion. The two both had hoods one so Taku couldn't make out their facial expressions. "Don't you think…that it's a bit cruel?"

"Unfortunately that's the way of the world," Gennai said as he swept an arm out and indicated to the female to continue in to the next corridor. "We have to do this to protect the world from them…and if we happen to find an unexpected positive, it would be wrong not to utilize it…"

The two robed Order members then swept further down the corridor that was opposite to the stair well. Taku narrowed his dark eyes.

"Protect the world from who?" Taku whispered to himself as he slowly climbed down the stairs, pricking his ears to the slightest sound. He sprinted across the lit intersection slipped into the far corridor, following Gennai and the woman.

The corridor was unexpectedly dark. The candles here were even dimmer than the ones in the stairwell, though at least the corridor hadn't any unexpected steps. Taku didn't like the vibes he was getting. The walls seemed to have a constant moan echoing through them, a pained draft that swirled around in his ears. Taku shivered slightly as a particularly loud whine cut through his bones.

He hesitated as he reached to his side, instinctively grasping for his digivice. Taku gulped as he looked down. He'd left the small, white device on his bed stand, not to mention the fact that DemiDevimon was still sleeping obliviously in his room. Taku shook off the frost that had collected on his nerves and started forward again.

He walked slowly, deliberately, trying as best he could to shut out the noises in his head. He wasn't going to be scared by some mind game, not like last time. He was getting at the bottom of this, and quite suddenly he found himself standing in front of a large, industrial metal door. It was very inconsistent with the fortress's motif. Usually the doors were either wooden or stone; in fact Taku couldn't remember seeing a single metal door in the entire fortress. He looked up at the door. He reached out towards the large gray handle.

He shivered slightly as his palm tightened around the cold metal. He slowly turned the handle and then it hit him, as if he had stuck a fork in a light socket. The screams, the unholy howls of pain, the wild screeching of terror tore into his head.

Taku fell backward pushing himself away from the door. His eyes were like dinner plates as he took in sharp, deep breaths trying to rationalize the experience, trying to drive the sounds out of his mind. They echoed in his skull, making his bones shudder and his skin crawl.

"What…what are they doing in there?" Taku hissed as he struggled to his feet. "That…feeling…it was…horrible…"

Taku gulped hard, swallowing down the ball of fear that had rolled up his throat. He closed his eyes and reached for the door. The screams seared into his mind again but this time Taku was prepared. He took a deep breath and twisted the door handle. The heavy door wheezed open and Taku walked in.

888

"What are you doing here?" Marine Angemon looked over to the door of the infirmary.

A regal, female angel was standing there. A glow hovered around the woman as she walked forward. The wispy, ethereal wings that adorned her body and helmet glimmered against the glow.

"I could ask you the same thing, Metatromon!" Marine Angemon snorted as he rose up on his bed. He hovered above the covers, his large blue eyes glared at the woman. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Citadel?"

"The Citadel has been destroyed," The angel replied, coldly. She lifted one of her clawed hands and reached forward. A single, metallic claw touched gently under Marine Angemon's head. "You were supposed to be protecting the Destiny Stone."

"Yeah, well, that didn't work out," Marine Angemon splayed his small, feathered wings and drew back from the clawed digit.

"That much is obvious," Metatromon stated with an aloof sweep of the hand. The sleeves of her red top swept with the arm. "I do hope you weren't hurt…too severely. You may yet be of some use…."

"WHY YOU!" Marine Angemon growled angrily, his vestigial arms curled into tiny, diminutive fists. "I should…"

"As if you could," Metatromon scoffed, her red lips curling into a mocking smile. "Your pathetic, a little pixie that wants to be more…you're just a peri that's lost its way. You forget; you serve me, and my kind. Don't forget who we're fighting, my little one. Your war isn't with the angels. You fight your war against the evils of this world."

"And who, gets to say what is good and evil?" Marine Angemon growled, glaring at the angel.

"I would think that would be obvious," Metatromon stated as if it was the simplest thing in the universe. "Me."

"And what gives you the right! What gave you the right to seal away those digimon?" Marine Angemon snarled angrily. "I knew Deathmon…before you turned him into your scapegoat! He was peaceful! He wanted Lucemon stopped just as much as you did! And then after you used his power to…"

"Sacrifices had to be made, little one," Metatromon said quietly. "Death was the only way to break Lucemon's bonds on those poor citizens. They had been compromised to his will…"

"You killed innocent lives!" Marine Angemon shouted at Metatromon, his face growing redder with rage. "And then when that drove Deathmon over the edge…when that sent him into an unending psychosis! You branded him an enemy and you and your 'kind' sealed him away! I bet you knew he was growing crazier in that rock! I bet you allowed Arkadimon to escape…I know you have the power to delete him…why didn't you?"

"I had other things to consider," Metatromon said with an icy voice. "The fact that my actions led to the final deletion of a serious threat to this world should not be used as a weapon against me…"

"Oh don't give me that," Marine Angemon growled, "You've got a plan going, I can see it…"

"How can a little peri, like you, know anything," Metatromon lifted a clawed finger and pointed it at Marine Angemon. "The only thing you should know is the sound of my commands…"

"Yeah, so you can seal me away too?" Marine Angemon retorted, glaring at the woman. "I fought Deathmon, because you turned him into a monster. I knew he never wanted to be what you made him. How many others are you planning to sacrifice to finish your great chess game? Are those children going to die too? Are you going to kill them?"

"If it is necessary to end this fight against the remnants of Kurayami's power, then yes, even the outsiders are expendable," Metatromon said quietly, with no sign of remorse or sadness. Metatromon turned, her green dress elegantly flowing with the motion. She started to walk towards the entrance of the infirmary. She turned her head back to Marine Angemon, "Do not try to interfere with the plans I've laid, little one, or you will be dismissed…with extreme prejudice."

"Is that a threat?" Marine Angemon shouted to the angel.

"Yes, it is," Metatromon said with a small smirk and then she exited the room.

888

Taku staggered back against the door. The heat was oppressive in the room. He felt his skin moisten as his sweat glands opened up. The room had an orange, fiery glow to it. It looked like a boiler room of some sort. Huge pipes were all over the place. Taku walked forward, looking at all the pipes with their valves and meters. There was another door on the far end of the room and Taku walked quickly towards to it. He reached out tentatively awaiting another wave of tortured screams to echo in his head.

He winced, they were louder this time, harder to ignore and much more forceful. He shook slightly and turned the door knob. He pushed his way into the next room.

"You know, Mr. Yoshida, normal people take pained screams in their head as a warning sign not to enter…" Taku looked up. Gennai was standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. His blue eyes were glaring down at him. "This is the second time you've gone somewhere that was 'restricted', such a habit is unhealthy…"

"There's no sign, and I like to wander," Taku replied taking up a defensive stance and lifted his hands, clenching them loosely.

Gennai shook his head and turned away from Taku, walking further into the room. "You may as well come in, if I ushered you out by force, you'd only get more curious and bring the others…"

"What is this place?" Taku asked as he walked forward and looked around. The room was impossibly large and sterile. A white glow emanated from the walls, like it did at the top of the Citadel of Light, but this light didn't have the same sickening effect on Taku, "and where'd that girl you were with go? I didn't see any other doors in the hall back there…"

"A prison," Gennai said with the calmness of a man with no worries. "I sent that woman to double check the power systems in another section in the fortress, she was teleported out…"

"A prison? I'm sorry to say but…" Taku looked around to the featureless walls and smooth ceiling, "…there's no one here…you must have one crappy security system…"

"Actually," Gennai slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small remote. "It's a pretty snazzy security system." Gennai stopped and turned to Taku. "Now, I'm only showing you this because I know you'd tenaciously try to figure out what this room was for…and if I didn't show you and give you a proper context in which to frame this, you'd go off on a wrong tangent…"

Gennai pressed a button on the remote. The gleaming white walls shimmered and then faded. Heavy metal bars lined up on either side of them. Taku gulped as he looked down at the dirty brick floor. There were six cells; three on each side, surrounding the small corridor Gennai and Taku were walking in. One of the jail cells shook angrily.

"Tsk, tsk, you should know resisting doesn't help," Gennai chastised as he walked up to the cell. "These bars are made specifically to channel your power up to the generators."

Gennai put his hand on the metal. Taku looked up at the inhabitant of the cell. It was a man; well it looked like a man to Taku. He wore heavy, flame decorated armor and had flimsy, wings with sickly yellow feathers. His legs were like that of a dragon's with long, clawed toes. A tail drooped limply on the ground. The man's face was framed by a helmet made of the same metal as he armor, with large horns sprouting from the sides. A mane of thin, white hair fell on his shoulders.

The man's eyes looked up as if that was the most effort he'd ever exerted, and crumbled to his knees. Taku gasped as he looked at the being, its face had long deep wrinkles and age lines.

"What…what…what is going on?" Taku looked up at Gennai in terror. "It's dying…"

"Don't be silly," Gennai said with a wave of his hand. "Aldamon, here, is probably our biggest contributor. Come, let me show you…"

Each of the six cells had a prisoner. One was a woman with a metallic, cybernetic bikini, and a winged jet pack. Her arms were thin. Taku could see the bones sliding under the skin when she limply lifted her one of her arms. Her eyes looked old, weary. Another cell held a giant blue beetle. The normal, scarab like horns that projected from its snout were accompanied by a third horn that sprouted from its forehead. The giant insect was lying on the floor. Its breath was raspy and shallow. The horns were brittle and looked as if they were almost ready to break off.

Gennai continued down the hall, his hands holding each other behind his back. He stopped and tapped the bars at one cell. Taku gulped as he looked into the cell. It was another humanoid. This one had whitish-gray armor that covered the man to give him a lupine look. The man grunted and strained his arm to lift the heavy armor covering the appendage. A cannon flicked open and a burst of light fired forward. The bolt of energy was pulled off course and struck one of the cell's bars. The bar sizzled slightly and then went quiet.

Gennai nodded and turned back to his survey. They walked past the cell of a large penguin. The purple seabird's slick feathers littered the floor and patches of its body were naked to the air. Taku was shaking slightly.

"What…what…is happening to them?" Taku whispered.

"This way," Gennai's reply was as he walked forward as he stood in front of the last jail cell. Taku stood next to the man and looked in the cell. The screams shouted in Taku's head. Taku staggered backward and fell against the bars of the cell behind him.

There was a man in the cell; well he was partly a man. He looked like a black sphinx, with golden wings. His black armor gave him the appearance of a lion. The man's armor was covered in rust and one of his left wings looked like it was missing.

The man's red eyes looked up at Taku and for a brief second the screams stopped. An eerie silence filled Taku's mind as he looked into the man's eyes. Taku couldn't explain it. The feeling he had was like when one has butterflies in their stomach, but it was in his head.

"You…" Taku looked up at Gennai. He growled angrily and pushed off of the bars and leapt at Gennai. "You're doing this to them! You're hurting them! Torturing them!" Gennai fell backward as Taku's weight crashed down on him. Taku grabbed Gennai by the front of his robe. Taku's eyes narrowed as his fingers dug into the robe's fabric. Taku shook the man. The rage that was bubbling up under Taku's skin seemed to give him an immense strength. "WHY! WHY ARE YOU HURTING THEM?"

"They are dangerous," Gennai said calmly as he grabbed Taku's wrists and with a strength Taku couldn't believe the man to have, wrested himself free of his attacker. Gennai then pushed Taku, throwing him back. Gennai stood up and dusted himself off.

"I don't believe you," Taku growled as he glared at Gennai. "They look half dead!"

"We have to keep that way to make them safe," replied Gennai as he walked towards the entrance of the prison.

"Who are they?" Taku asked as he ran after the man.

"An experiment," Gennai said with a frown, "A prototype. They are our first attempt to give power to those who have none…they are the first attempts of transferring power from human to digimon…"

Taku grabbed the back of Gennai's robes and yanked, spinning the man around to face him. "What do you mean? Say it straight! Stop trying to be all 'magic and mystery'!"

"Taku, do hold your temper, you'll aggravate our…" Gennai took a bit to think, and then he smiled, "tenants."

"Bastard!" Taku growled and clenched a fist. Taku screamed and thrust his fist forward, but Gennai deftly caught the punch and twisted Taku's wrist.

Taku fell to his knees and shouted out in pain. Gennai's cold, blue eyes glared down at him with no remorse.

"Before we developed your digivices, tags and crests, we had a problem transferring power from true physical life to digital life, it was quite a quandary as the Founders had said that it was the power of the physical world that would give us the strength to resist Kurayami's forces," Gennai said, explaining, oblivious to the rageful, pained expression on Taku's face. "The first attempt was to use the elements the Founder's left behind to create a sort of pseudo-digimon, a being that would be human and digimon at the same time, drawing energy directly from the human spirit. This is different from the way your digivices work, because your energy has to be metabolized through the circuitry of the device and then refined by the tags and crests. It's more inefficient but infinitely more preferable to the 'hybrid digimon'."

"What did you do?" Taku growled through clenched teeth. "Did you kidnap kids and turn them into those things…only to torture them?"

"You act as if we like this!" Gennai said, releasing Taku and turning to one of the cells. "The experiment used members of our own Order; we were the only ones with enough of a human element to give us an accurate idea of what kind of reaction to expect when used with real humans. We fused ten Order members with ten digimon augmented by the Founders' elements. The fusion couldn't have gone more perfectly, ten warriors with the power to defeat any digimon at any level, when given the proper motivation. We were getting power readings off the charts…we almost considered canceling the digi-destined project completely, but…" Gennai sighed and turned to Taku, "…it was too perfect. The fusion was too good, and we couldn't split the Order member from the digimon, added to that was the fact that the Digimon element of the fusion began to take over, the wild unbridled passions of the digimon won out and they started to consume other digimons' data to gain more powerful. The situation soon became as bad, if not worse than it is now."

"I thought you said there were ten…" Taku said, his rage slowly fading. "Did you kill them out right; weren't they fun enough to torture?"

Gennai looked wizened; his face sagged slightly into a remorseful frown. "No, we didn't kill them. They did," Gennai pointed to the jail cells. "These six consumed the other four, and became even more frighteningly powerful. The angels…fortunately captured them…" Gennai turned to the bars and ran his fingers over the metal, "And we constructed these jails for them. At first it was just supposed to be a self-feeding system to hold them, but then we noticed something. These digimon produced far more power than what we needed to hold them," Gennai looked to Taku, "I don't know if it was genius or not, but we hooked the jail up to an auxiliary power capacitor. We siphoned power from these digimon and soon found that we were producing more power than we could have ever produced through simple mechanical means. It was enough power to operate the digital gates consistantly, enough power to charge the shields that protect the fortress, enough power to do useful experiments on the digivices, tags and crests and enough power to start to implement a more sustainable way of protecting this world. Actually you can thank your success thus far to these guys' so called 'torture'."

"Monster…" Taku breathed angrily. "You…you dare to talk to us about justice and saving the world…you dare to act like the good guys…you dare to act all high and mighty…"

"Do understand, that we felt the loss of our comrades, but we also saw what kind of damage they were doing," Gennai said defensively, "We believe that they want it this way, that the Order member within in them wishes to turn their great power to…"

"SHUT UP!" Taku shouted, glaring at Gennai, angrily. "You self-righteous Bastard!"

The caged digimon started to grumble and make noises.

"Taku, I must ask you…" Gennai whispered.

"I told you to shut it!" Taku shouted glaring at the man. Taku started to stalk forward. "You think what you did was good? You think that just because everyone else gets to turn on their lights at night, that you're absolved of this?" Taku pushed Gennai against the bars. "You could've killed them and it would've been kinder…"

"Taku…please…calm down…" Gennai gulped as he listened to the rustlings of life coming from the jail cells. "You have no idea what you're doing…"

Taku whipped his hand out and sunk it into Gennai's pocket. The man grabbed for Taku's arm, but the boy caught his hand as the child pulled the remote from Gennai's pocket.

"I'm going to free them," Taku replied as he looked at the remote. Taku noticed that his Crest of Darkness was glowing with a malignant black light. He found the button on the remote that he was looking for, and he looked up at Gennai, "You shouldn't make everything so obvious…" Taku lifted the remote and pressed a button.

Gennai shouted leaping forward, as the bars that had been behind him slid open.

888

"Defense Breach…" Luminel blinked. The screen couldn't be right, it was impossible. "Not down there…it can't be…"

The lights suddenly dimmed. Luminel looked up. She looked around the control room. Computer monitors and lamps flickered and finally failed.

"What's going on?" a number of other Order members shouted, voicing Luminel's own question.

"Get backup power up, now!" Luminel shouted as she stood up in the dark. "Someone, get Lady Metatromon and take her down to the holding cells. I'm getting some bad vibes about this."

"What is it, Luminel?" the woman instantly recognized Rathiel's voice in the dark.

"I think the hybrids are free…" Luminel whispered. She heard the gasp, and then saw it as the lights flickered back to life. She looked to the blonde haired man with the golden eyes. "Gennai was going down there…if he was stuck down there when they got free…"

"Don't worry about Gennai, if there's anyone who can take care of himself it's him," Rathiel said in reassurance.

888

The hybrids growled loudly and stalked forward. Gennai spun around and backed up against Taku as the hybrid digimon walked out of their cells. "You idiot…you've killed us both!"

The digimon looked much healthier all the wrinkles and thin arms were replaced with smooth skin and stout muscles. The flame decorated hybrid looked far more robust than before. The flame digimon's eyes glared at Gennai.

"Aldamon…don't do this," Gennai begged. He grabbed Taku and pulled the boy behind him.

"I thought you said they wanted to be in their cages, getting sucked dry," Taku sneered glaring up at the back of Gennai's head.

"Your sarcasm isn't needed right now," Gennai retorted, sharply as he pushed the boy back further. Gennai slowly turned his head to Taku and whispered, "Slowly, walk towards the door, they may not attack you…I'll try to protect you if they attack…"

"What?" Taku looked up at Gennai in shock. "You couldn't hurt them…"

"I'm thoroughly aware of that, but I can at least trip them up for a bit," Gennai growled, "now go…"

"But…but…you can't do this…" Taku grumbled looking at the brown haired man angrily, "You can't all of a sudden become right!"

"Damn it, it's not about being right or wrong, it's about saving your life!" Gennai shouted, spinning around and pushing Taku towards the door. "Now run!"

Taku looked up and saw the one Gennai called 'Aldamon' leap forward pouncing the man. Gennai squirmed under the larger beast's weight and somehow wriggled free. The woman digimon with the jetpack, who now was much more buxom and muscular, then leapt at Gennai. Gennai swept out an arm and clasped something in his hand, the next thing Taku knew, the woman was being tossed over Gennai's head by means of a six foot long pole.

Taku scrambled backward as Gennai held back two huge claymores the wolf-man unsheathed from the armor on his back. Taku crawled backward on his hands hoping to hit the door, hoping to get away from his mistake. His back ran up against something. Taku looked up and met the red eyes of the black sphinx warrior.

There wasn't a connection this time. No metaphysical oneness came from the eyes of the man-beast; instead the armored, sphinx-warrior looked down, hungrily at Taku. The sphinx reached down with his clawed hand. Taku was shaking in terror.

Suddenly, Gennai's pole slammed into the sphinx's head, forcing the creature to retreat. Taku looked up. Gennai was holding one of the beetle's horns with one hand as he held back a blue popsicle from the fat penguin with another.

"I can't leave you!" Taku shouted.

"It's ok…" Gennai grunted as kicked the penguin away. "I've got them on the ropes noywaaaah!"

Aldamon slammed one of the heavy, yellow gauntlets on its arms into Gennai's back. The man fell to the ground. Aldamon grabbed Gennai and lifted him into the air. The robed Order member was limp in the beast's hand. Taku turned and grabbed the pole Gennai had used, which had fallen close to him, and charged forward. Taku leapt forward but the woman with the jet pack dove in front of him and backhanded him into a jail cell. Taku slid down the wall of the cell and grunted when his butt hit the floor.

The hybrids were grabbing for Gennai, squabbling over him like vultures. Taku tried to stand up but his leg surged with pain and he crumpled back to the ground. The black sphinx seemed to ignore the other hybrids and walked into the cell that Taku was in. Taku tried to make himself look tough but he knew he just looked powerless, with a sprained ankle. Taku lifted the staff Gennai had been using up and held it out.

"Don't come any closer…" Taku gulped as the creature walked forward. "I'll defend myself if necessary!"

The hybrid ignored Taku completely and continued forward. Taku growled and swung the staff forward. The sphinx-man caught the pole and yanked it from Taku's hands. The sphinx-man broke it over his knee.

"What do you want?" Taku shouted, looking up at the beast, trying not to cower. "I freed you!"

"You smell like him," Taku looked up at where the voice was coming from. The jail entrance was open. There was an Order member standing in the doorway behind Metatromon. The angel moved forward into the prison and grimaced as the dinginess. "It probably is curious as to what you are…"

The other hybrids lifted their heads, glaring at the angel. Aldamon lifted his gauntlets. The jet pack hybrid swept her hands up stirring a small wind.

"Lady Metatromon, Gennai…" The Order member gasped. She was pointing down to the man, who was now lying on the ground like a forgotten chew toy. His robes were torn and his legs had gashes in them.

"Yes, I suppose I should fix this…again," Metatromon said with a grimace. The hybrids, except for the sphinx leapt forward. Metatromon looked to Taku, "Cover your ears…" Taku blinked and covered his ears, he saw the Order member do the same. Metatromon took a deep breath, which made her form fitting dress press against her upper torso, "Voice of Yaweh!"

The room shook, dust fell from the roof. Taku felt his bones quiver from the noise. His eyes throbbed in his eye sockets. He nearly screamed because of the pain in his chest as his heart shook. He struggled to see as the vibrations made his vision fuzzy, but could tell that whatever he was feeling, the hybrids were getting it a million times worse. Metatromon closed her mouth and the vibrations stopped. The hybrids were lying on the ground squirming in pain, groaning loudly.

The Order member shook her head, letting her brown hair fly back and forth, "I forgot how powerful Lady Metatromon is…"

"Pfft, that was only a tenth of my power…any more and they'd have been shaken to bits," the woman said haughtily and then walked forward, looking at the squirming hybrids. "Well, this won't do, I'll clean it up…Metatron Cube!" Metatromon splayed her golden clawed fingers and a hexagonal cube materialized in her hand. The crystal had large circles at its points and an elaborate structure of triangles inside. The six circles on the crystal's surface were accompanied by seven more circles within the deeper triangular structure in the prism. She held the crystal out and the hybrids glowed with light and were drawn into the prism. She turned to the Order member and tossed the crystal to her. "Put that in your pocket and come get him…"

Metatromon then knelt down and picked up Gennai, cradling him in her arms. The Order member walked up to the angel and Metatromon turned and placed Gennai in the girl's arms. Taku watched as the Order member slowly walked out of the room, cradling Gennai in her arms.

"He's…going to be ok, isn't he?" Taku asked as he crawled to his feet by grabbing the bars of the cell.

"He won't die," Metatromon said almost as if she was disappointed by the fact. The angel then looked at Taku, "You freed them, in some misguided idea of being kind…"

"What…how did you…?" Taku stammered looking at the angel, surprised that she even knew what was going on.

"You're the Child of Darkness, something bad happens, it'll be your fault; after all it was that abomination that fed them," Metatromon stated, pointing to Taku's Crest of Darkness which was still glowing faintly. Metatromon made a disgusted noise. "You're also an outsider," The angel frowned. "How very disgusting it is to have to even look upon you….even more so because you think you know best. How dare you consider questioning our morality without even knowing the pain of its history?"

"Look, you hate me, I know that!" Taku shouted. "But you didn't see them…"

"I saw them, when it mattered," Metatromon replied with a measure of venom as she turned. "I saw them destroy entire villages, the blood and flesh of babies hanging and dripping from their fangs…I heard the screams of the terrified as they were hunted down…and I waited, because Gennai said he could fix it, because the Order wanted to go through every prospect of bringing back their people. So don't give me your excuses, child of Kurayami. I've heard them before."

"Why did you save me, if you hate me so much, why not just get it over with and kill me?" Taku grunted as he clambered around the edges of the jail cell, trying to stay off his sprained foot.

"I may, eventually," Metatromon said, quietly. The angel didn't turn to Taku, "Right now, you're useful, you still have a purpose. "You're a pawn that's made it halfway across the board…something to be salvaged for the endgame. People forget how powerful pawns can be…after all they can become the most powerful piece…the queen…" Metatromon turned and looked at Taku. Taku felt a cold chill run through his spine, "That is what you are…a pawn waiting to become the black queen…"

"You don't scare me…" Taku growled.

"Don't lie, boy," The angel said with a smirk. "You do it badly."

The angel turned her back on Taku and started to walk away.

"Hey, aren't you going to get someone to help me get up to the infirmary?" Taku shouted after Metatromon.

"No," The angel replied as she passed through the doorway, "You wandered down here on your own, you can wander back."

Taku narrowed his eyes and hopped towards the door of the jail, swearing every time his sprained foot pressed against the floor. He hated that angel, but she had an uncanny ability to know exactly what he was thinking, to know exactly what to say to shut him up, to know almost everything about all of them. She must really talk to the gods, as Gennai had said. However, Taku also felt something else was driving Metatromon. He was truly afraid of her, because not only was she extremely powerful, but she also was excessively hateful of anyone she deemed evil and executed her judgments against them with little mercy. Taku hung on the doorway to the boiler room. He decided that maybe he'd wait before saying anything to the others, if only to save them from Metatromon's icy glare.

**888**

**AN: This is an economy sized chapter, I know, but I wasn't about to pad it out, because it already was padded once. I got everything I wanted out, so there was no reason to add more. **


	43. It’s Just a Dream

**I don't own digimon**

**It's Just a Dream**

**NOTE! **

**Reader Discretion is Advised: The following chapter has material that is possibly not good for very young children. So, please, be wise and if you can't handle it skip it. **

* * *

It was like being hit in the head with a shovel. Metatromon winced and opened her eyes. For three days she had been attempting to commune with the Founders and for three days she'd been rejected, tossed back into the ephemeral plane, back into her body, with nary a warning or answer.

"Why do you forsake me now!?" Metatromon shouted to the roof of her quarters. The Order had been very generous in housing her. Giving her a massive room and furnishing it with lavish crimson curtains and thick warm beddings. Metatromon glared at the flames of the candles that circled her. She tried to focus on twisting of the fire and the subtle waves of heat that rolled from the candle. Just as she felt herself aligning and falling into a more receptive state her mind's calmness was shattered and Metatromon winced as her ears rang. She opened her eyes and looked upward. "I have been your loyal servant for all these years. Why do you forsake me now?"

"You're the past, Metatromon. Your regime, your power is fading." A voice said. Metatromon looked up. It was the youngest of Gennai's 'digi-destined'. He was standing in the doorway of her room. He had blonde hair and brown eyes that looked upon her with cold disregard. "The demands are too great for you to fulfill."

Metatromon scowled poisonously at the child. Like the other humans it had such impudence to even think that it understood her strength. All she had to do was flick a wrist and the child would crumble under her will. She stayed her hand though, and took a breath attempting to restrain her muscles.

"You think you can do better?" Metatromon said glaring at the child from behind the candlelight. "You are weak. If Arkadimon were to arrive now you could do nothing to stop him!"

"Neither could you." The child said, walking into her room. He knelt in front of Metatromon on the other side of the candles and looked up at her. "This world is growing even more tainted. It is no longer clearly good and evil, right and wrong, darkness and light. The cruelty of this world is working on both sides."

"You should know about being tainted, human!" the angel said, turning her head away from the boy's hardened stare. "That child you side with, that one you merge your pure powers with. He is the worst example of taint in the entire Digital World!"

"We, disagree." The boy said, looking into the candle flame, intently. "We consider him one of the most pure. He is still coming to terms with his place in this world, and admits it."

"I don't care what you humans think!" Metatromon said pointing a metallic claw at the child. "He is dangerous! Kurayami's power is not to be trifled with! You should watch him very closely!"

"We think the Voice of the Founders should first make sure her words are true." The child said. His eyes met Metatromon's and locked into a stiff stare. "There is a disharmony in your voice, Metatromon." The boy stood up and started to walk away. "Your ears have fallen deaf and your eyes blind. You do not even know when to show reverence to your own God."

"What are you talking about!?" Metatromon shouted rising to her feet.

"Child, if you have to be told, then you are farther gone than we thought." The boy said and then left the room.

Metatromon took a step forward when a pain shot through her head. Three pains, united as one. Her fingers curled as the nerves in her digits responded to her mind's distress.

"The…Destiny…Stones…" Metatromon hissed as she struggled forward.

* * *

"Well, it's about time!" Haru shouted down to Agumon and Jiro from the catwalk balcony the surrounded the control room.

"I found him wandering around the castle!" the yellow tyrannosaur said as he helped Jiro forward.

"He's getting more and more like you, Taku." Haru said looking at the black haired boy, dressed in dark lavender.

"I don't think so…" Taku said as he rubbed his arm. It felt like there was a rash there. Jiro climbed up the stairs, with Agumon following him closely. Taku looked over to Haru. "Are you sure you don't notice something…odd about him?"

Haru looked to his brother and then back to Taku with his hazel eyes. "No…should I?"

"He's seemed distant as of late." Taku said as Jiro walked up to them.

"He's a little kid." Ren said walking up behind the two boys. She reached over and ruffled Jiro's head. "He's probably just missing your mom."

"It's not like that." Jiro said looking up. "I've been having weird dreams, and when I wake up I find myself out in a hall somewhere in the castle."

"Don't worry, you used to sleep walk all the time." Haru said as he leaned over the catwalk railing and looked down at the Order members scurrying around. He laughed a little. "Mom and Dad found him once, sleeping in the bathtub with the water running."

"That's not funny!" Jiro said, glaring up at his brother. "You didn't need to tell everyone about that!"

"Jiro…" Haru said, blinking at the little boy's sudden burst of rage.

"Where's Kisho?" Renamon asked. The fox looked around.

"Yeah where is the goggle-boy?" DemiDevimon asked as he looked around. "The stupid alarm went off minutes ago. I'd have thought he'd be the first one here!"

"There he is!" Guilmon said pointing down at the entrance. Kisho and DORUmon scrambled through the doors and ran upstairs.

"Sorry, we're late." Kisho said, huffing and puffing as he stood in front of the other children. "Was down…talking to…Marine Angemon…and Gennai…Ready to go?"

"We have to split up again." Haru said as he walked towards Kisho. "They are attacking three more Destiny Stones."

"Right…DORUmon and I can make a team." Kisho said, turning and walking as the others ran down the steps. "Haru, Jiro…"

"No!" Jiro said, stopping. "I'm not going with Haru."

"He's mad at me." Haru said, shaking his head. "He can go with Ren."

"You sure?" Taku and Kisho looked up at Haru.

"Sure, Taku'll be with him. It's no big deal." Haru said, walking past them with Guilmon.

"Umm…ok…" Kisho said. He shook his head and then continued forward. "Jiro, Taku and Ren will make another team and that well…leaves the obvious."

"Coordinates are already put in." Luminel said as the children passed the female Order member. "Just go down to the transporter room…"

"Ok!" the children said running out of the command room.

* * *

Fuujinmon stood atop the sharp peak of the Destiny Stone. Its crystal blue surface glinted up to his green armor in the sunlight. There was a settlement nearby. They'd be in trouble if the Digi-destined didn't arrive.

He'd already damaged the seal enough to release the energy from the entrapped digimon. He should wait, wait until they got here. Arkadimon only wanted the digi-cores of the sealed digimon. There wasn't a need to put innocent lives at risk. He lifted his hand slightly.

Arkadimon didn't care about that, though. He didn't care that he and his brothers were called the Elemental _Guardians_. Suijinmon and Raijinmon were too afraid, too bound by laws and programming to fight back. He was the wind though. He shouldn't be locked away, shouldn't be sent off to do errands for some lackey of a god, and shouldn't be forced to sit on a shuddering rock. Fuujinmon thought for a second. The rock was shuddering. Fuujinmon looked down as the Destiny Stone below him exploded open.

Fuujinmon leapt into the air, swirls of wind holding him above the torrent of black energy that curled and flooded into the canyon below. The darkness twisted, flowing into a single form. A lance sliced through the darkness and a navy blue cape unfurled. A white knight with dark insignia's on his body stretched as his muscles were released from bondage.

"Chaos Dukemon…" Fuujinmon lowered himself in front of the knight and dropped to one knee. "I did not know you were sealed here."

"Who are you?" The knight asked as he walked forward. A gray and blue shield materialized in his other hand. "Where am I?"

"You are in the southern canyon expanse of Server." Fuujinmon replied, lowering his head. "And I am Fuujinmon, Elemental Guardian of Wind."

"You a being linked to Daemon!" Chaos Dukemon's lance swept around and pointed at Fuujinmon. "Why should I not destroy you now? How is it you exist now?"

"Well, for one, I am not here to fight you." Fuujinmon said, his head still lowered, not looking up. "And two, because you won't have time."

"Don't flatter yourself." Chaos Dukemon's said as his lance flickered with a powerful black energy.

"Oh, I'm not trying to insult you by insinuating I could escape destruction from you…" Fuujinmon said, lifting his head, "only that, there is another coming, much stronger than I. No, point in saying it, but that one is coming to destroy you. He doesn't think that you beliefs should survive, you're evil, and he is good."

"He embraces the foolish notions of order and is blind to the maelstrom of truth." Chaos Dukemon said, walking forward and past Fuujinmon. "Take me to him."

"No need." Fuujinmon said as he leapt away from Chaos Dukemon. "He's here!"

"What?" Chaos Dukemon spun around.

"Fuujinmon! Where are you going!?" shouted a voice. Chaos Dukemon looked up and found its owner, a small humanoid, sitting on the shoulders of a heavily-armored, black knight.

The knight lifted its hand and a green energy filled his palm. A streak of green light fired forward, lancing towards Fuujinmon. Chaos Dukemon narrowed his eyes and swung his lance around.

"Demon Disaster!" A black blast of energy fired from the tip of the lance and fired across the air, smashing into the streak of green energy.

The two energies twisted around each other pushing back and forth, neither gaining or losing ground to the other. Fuujinmon looked back and watched as the two powers bloomed, green and black energy curling around each other burning rock as they expanded.

"With any luck, Chaos Dukemon will destroy that kid, and keep Arkadimon from being able to use him for the destruction of this world." Fuujinmon said as he let the wind swirl around him and take him away.

* * *

"Stop right there, Raijinmon!" Ren shouted to the beige armored robot.

The robot turned around from the broken Destiny Stone where black energy was flooding out. The robot was heavy looking, with two pairs of barrels on its shoulders and its forearms were heavy and made of heavy black armor. WarGreymon charged forward, flying behind him was Paildramon.

"Blitz Arm." Raijinmon lifted his arm and clenched his heavy black hand into a fist. A blast of purple lightning flew forward, striking WarGreymon, repelling the dragon warrior backward.

"Cable Catcher!" Paildramon dove forward thrusting his tethered claws forward.

The claws curled around Raijinmon. The robot's small looked up at Paildramon. Suddenly the digimon's body crackled with electricity that instantly traveled up the cables and before Paildramon could react he was struck by volts of electrical energy. Paildramon arched his back and roared and fell out of the sky with Taku and Jiro.

The two boys dropped to the ground and slowly lifted their heads. WarGreymon and Ren ran forward. Ren knelt next to Taku.

"Are you guys ok?" Ren asked, as she looked into his eyes.

"Ugh, Paildramon took most of the attack." Taku said, looking to Jiro. "Jiro, are you ok?" The little boy was looking forward. Taku reached towards the blonde. "What is it, Jiro?"

"Who dares disturb my eternal slumber?" it was a small voice that spoke, a raspy, child's voice.

The digi-destined looked up. The dark flooding energy had condensed into a solid form. It was small, about the size of a stuffed animal. It had large ruffled ears. Its forehead circled by a set of teeth.

"Who are you?" Ren asked, looking at the creature.

"I am Belphemon." The creature said, a yawn escaped the digimon's mouth. "And I was sleeping." Its limbs and neck were chained and it had its eyes closed. "It's not polite to wake the sleeping." Its eye slowly opened, revealing a yellow light underneath its eyelids. "Those that are impolite, suffer the power of my…Eternal Nightmare!"

"Don't look!" WarGreymon shouted closing her eyes as the light threw itself forward.

The light faded. WarGreymon looked up and the three children were kneeling on the ground, staring blankly into the sky.

* * *

"There!" shouted Haru as he pointed down to a walking, red tank that was trudging through the snow. "Suijinmon!"

The tank ignored Haru as it continued forward. Haru narrowed his eyes and told OuRyuumon to strike. The golden armored dragon dove downwards. The walking fortress stopped, its small head swiveled around and looked up at the oncoming dragon. The cannons that projected out of its upper-limb's shoulders turned.

"Mugen Cannon!" Beads of energy formed at the opening of the cannons' barrels and projected forward.

"Oukai!" OuRyuumon retreated as a bubble of yellow energy encapsulated him. Suijinmon's attack smashed and spread over the yellow shield but did not harm those behind it.

The red beast then continued forward.

"We can't let him get to the Destiny Stone." Haru said, pointing down to Suijinmon. "We're going to have to destroy him."

OuRyuumon dove downward and clutched the giant sabers in his hands. "Suijinmon! Don't make us attack!"

"Look, there's the Destiny Stone!" Haru said, looking forward.

"He's not stopping." OuRyuumon said, as he watched Suijinmon close in on the stone.

"We'll have to make him." Haru said, narrowing his hazel eyes.

"Right." OuRyuumon lifted his swords and swept them back and then with a forward sweeping thrust. "Eiseiryuuoujin!"

A pair of twisting golden streams of energy, in the shape of terrifying, snaking dragons howled toward Suijinmon. Suijinmon, bent his four hind legs and his front, hoofed arms and then leapt into the air. Columns of snow poured upwards under his feet, holding his weight in the air.

OuRyuumon and Haru gasped in horror as their attack pushed past under Suijinmon, destroying the columns of snow, supporting the beast, and onwards, erupting into the Destiny Stone.

"Uh, Haru…" OuRyuumon said as a twisting cloud of darkness flew into the sky, followed the hum of insect. "This could be bad."

There was a loud crash and a cloud of snow rose up from the ground. Haru looked down and saw Suijinmon running away.

"No! You get back here!" Haru shouted. "OuRyuumon! Stop him!"

"But…" The dragon looked up at the swirling cloud.

"He's not getting away! Get him now!" Haru shouted.

OuRyuumon twisted around and pursued Suijinmon.

* * *

Kisho grunted as he sat up. He shook his head to free himself of the cobwebs that had amassed their. Alphamon was standing in front of him. The black knight's upper torso was heaving.

"What was that?" Kisho asked as he crawled forward.

"Stay back!" Alphamon ordered, turning his head back, looking at Kisho. "It's too dangerous."

Kisho looked up as a dark blue streak sliced upward from the canyon below. A caped knight dropped down in front of Alphamon and stood up, slicing his lance out.

"You are indeed powerful." The knight said, his green eyes looking upon Alphamon. "But you have no talent or skill. Just brute force."

"Who are you?" Kisho asked, stepping forward.

"Chaos Dukemon." The knight said, sweeping his lance to his side. "Dark Knight, the forgotten shadow of the round table, embracer of chaos, shunner of order, the…"

"Talker with a big mouth." Kisho said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You came out of that Destiny Stone Fuujinmon broke. That means you're part of the problem."

"Problem?" Chaos Dukemon said, his arms being taut. "You dare call me a problem? I am Chaos Dukemon! One of the esteemed digimon that fought against Lucemon's tyranny! You are the problem…a fool who delineates between good and evil, put others in columns and lines, defining what is right and wrong. And if your definition is the only thing that makes me the problem, then that means one thing."

Chaos Dukemon leapt forward, slicing his lance forward.

"Kisho!" Alphamon leapt in front of Chaos Dukemon pulling his shining, holy sword from his sheath.

There was a scream and Alphamon spun around, Kisho was rolling across the ground and Chaos Dukemon was bringing his lance to his side. The dark knight turned his long blue cape ruffling behind him.

"No skill at all." Chaos Dukemon said, turning his head and looking to Kisho, who was curled into a fleshy ball.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon thrust his fist forward. A stream of green energy fired forward. Seconds later he felt a force smash against his chest. Chaos Dukemon was right in front of him, a gray and blue shield pressed against his chest.

"No skill and a slow learner." Chaos Dukemon said as he pressed the shield closer to Alphamon's armor. "I like my odds more and more. Judecca Prison."

* * *

Jiro shivered slightly in his bed. His eyes scanned the dark room; the shadows seemed to encroach around him. He gulped and looked for any sign of light; even a nightlight would've comforted him.

"A-Agumon?" Jiro whimpered, pulling the blankets up around him. "Ta-ku? Ren? Ha-Haru?"

"No one's here to save you…" a voice said. The sound curled up from under his bed. "You're all alone…powerless, impotent…a mere child."

"Who's there?" Jiro said, curling his legs up, under his chin.

"Oh, I have so many names…so very many names…" chuckled the voice. "I've been waiting for you. Oh yes, waiting for so long…I saw you, child. Oh yes, I saw you like a glimmering pearl in a sea of oil. A child of Light, child all alone in the world, a child in pain…oh you'll taste so good…"

"Who's there!?" Jiro said, looking around. Jiro gulped and slowly leaned towards the edge of the bed.

"Don't look!" the voice shouted, making Jiro leap out of his skin and spring back to the middle of the bed, sitting straight, shuddering. The shadows seemed to quiver. "Tsk, tsk, curiosity kills the cat…if you look you will die…"

Jiro's eyes wandered around in the darkness, searching for any presence. "I'm not afraid of you. You don't scare me! My friends…will come!"

"Oh you should be terrified." Said the voice, its sound rising up from the floor. "Because I'm coming, I'm right behind you…can't you feel that cold chill on the back of your neck?"

Jiro sat up straight as an icicle slid down his neck, down his spine, under his shirt. Jiro slowly turned.

"I _SAID! _ 'Don't look…'" The voice said, as a cold breeze swept over Jiro's left shoulder. "If you do, you will die. If you look I will kill you." Another frozen claw gently ran down Jiro's neck. "Oh, but I'm so close. If I stuck my tongue out, I could taste your sweet, sweet flesh, child."

Jiro instinctively reached for his waist, where his digivice would've been. "I-I-I'm not afraid." Jiro closed his eyes and lifted his empty hands up to chest, enclosing them around each other. "The others will come…the others will come. THE OTHERS WILL COME!"

"Oh yes, shout, scream, blanket yourself in false hope!" laughed the voice. "Your friends are never coming! You're trapped here…and I'm coming to eat you…oh I can smell the terror wafting from you…delicious…"

* * *

Ren staggered forward. She looked around at the sea green tiling on the walls, and soft beige sink. She turned and looked at the large bath behind her, filled with water and bubble bath. She looked down and yelped, mostly do to the fact that she hadn't any clothes on. 

"What the hell is going on?" Ren shouted to the mirror above the lavish sink. "Why am I in my own bathroom…wait…why _am _I in my bathroom?" Ren grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself and then walked to the door. She opened the door. She poked her head out. "Mom…Dad? Grandma? Is anyone home?"

Ren took a cautious step out of the lit bathroom, into the darkened hallway. The air conditioning must've been on because a cold chill ran down Ren's neck. She shivered and walked towards her bedroom. She reached for her bedroom door, and the knob jangled but wouldn't turn. Ren narrowed her eyes and twisted on the knob but it wouldn't budge.

"That's impossible – this door doesn't even have a lock." Ren glared at the door, hoping that would compel the doorknob to work properly. Ren turned around and stomped down the hall. "Mom! DAD! GRANDMA!" Ren shouted as she rounded the corner. "Why is there a lock on my…on my…"

Ren stopped short. Her hands started to shake as they lifted up to her face. Her knees quaked, knocking together as she dropped down in front of the scene. Her father was sitting at the table, a fork sticking out of the side of his neck. Butter knives were embedded in his back, his shirt clinging to his body with crimson stickiness. Her mother's arms had been removed and the woman's hands were clutched around her own neck, and her grandmother, her grandmother was hanging from the ceiling by her own gastro-intestinal tract, and swung back and forth, her eyes staring coldly down at Ren.

Ren's stomach lurched upwards and the next thing she knew, her shaking hands filled with bilious fluid, filled with bits of her last meal. She looked at the now stained carpet, not willing to look up.

"Oh, they were so surprised." A voice said from behind Ren.

She froze – the air conditioning blew on her neck. She could hear someone breathing, right behind her.

"What did you do?" Ren said, quietly. "Why did you do it?"

"They cried your name." The voice said, right against her ear. "The old one, oh did she fight, struggling, squirming, she bit me…such a mean, old battleaxe. Even as she choked on her own innards…whimpering about you coming to protect them. You and that dragon."

"You did this?" Ren trembled, her stomach lurched again. She gulped down the upward erupting lump and slowly turned.

"You won't want to do that, child." The voice said. "Oh, no, you see, they looked too. I told them not to. I warned them. Oh, but those silly mortals never listen."

"You killed them for looking at you?" Ren said, not sure how to react. "Why?"

"I could." The voice said, in a whisper, in a hushed breeze of frigid air that played and looped around her ears. "And now, I'll eat you…Oh, you're so tasty…so wonderful."

"I can't let you…" Ren started to twist to look behind her, to put up some kind of defense.

"DON'T LOOK!" shouted the voice like a gale filled with icy spikes. "Look forward. If you look at me, you'll die; you'll die just like they did. Empty, meaningless deaths caused by their own stupidity…"

"Renamon…where are you? I need you…someone…please…" Ren whimpered, looking forward, as she was demanded.

"No one's coming." The voice said. The cold air curled around Ren's chest, like a pair of frozen arms.

* * *

Taku's chest was heaving. A cold sweat washed down her face. They had been sliced, filleted right in front of him. Taku was wide-eyed staring at the black angel in front of him. Its arm was held out and the sword it bore still dripped with slowly congealing blood.

"I did what you wanted me to, Master." The angel said, turning slowly and looking at Taku. "They won't come back this time. Are you happy?"

"What did you do, DemiDevimon!?" Taku curled his hands into fists. "Who told you to do that!? How did you get that body!?"

"You told me to do it, Master." The angel said, kneeling in front of Taku. "Your powerful crest gave me the power to take this body. Aren't you pleased? I only wanted to make you happy."

"No…no…" Taku ran his hands through his hair. "When did this happen? We were trying to get save the Destiny Stone…when did this happen?"

"Don't think about that…" The angel said, jerking up. "Your friends are dead! You used me, your greatest, best friend – your partner – to kill your friends."

"No…" Taku held his head. "No…no…no…this isn't right!"

"It is right. Just look at them." The angel said. He swept a hand out pointing to the dismember bodies of the children lying in bloody heaps behind him. "They are dead, you can see them. You asked me to do this."

"No!" Taku shouted, glaring at the angel. "No, I didn't! I never would! I'd never put you through that! I'd never betray them like that! So someone better tell me what the hell is going on here! Because I damn well don't know!"

"So…this one is smart." A voice swirled out of the breeze, behind Taku. The black haired boy stood straight up as an icy finger touched the middle of his back.

"What's going on?" Taku said, slowly turning.

"Don't turn around!" the voice shouted.

"Oh, what's going to happen if I turn around?" Taku said, holding back, just in case.

"You'll die." The voice said. "If you turn around you'll die. One look is all I need to kill you."

"Oh, I see." Taku said, looking at the ground. "So you're the one that's put this little show on stage for me?" Taku looked up at the scene in front of him, the black angel kneeling in front of his dismembered friends. "Why?"

"That's not important…" the voice said a cold draft drooped around Taku's neck. He tensed as it curled quietly over his throat.

"I think it is." Taku said, staring straight ahead. "You went through the effort of trying to trick me into thinking I murdered my friends. I want to know why."

"Aren't you worried?" asked the voice, the cold shifted, pulling away from Taku. "Aren't you frightened, that I may kill you too?"

"Are you?" Taku asked, looking straight ahead.

"I'm going to gobble you up…" the voice said, in a menacing tone. The cold tingled on the back of Taku's neck. "I'm going to slice you up and eat you. I'll gnaw your bones, and lap up your blood and chew your organs."

"Then get on with it." Taku said.

"What?" the voice said, the tingles disappeared from Taku's neck.

"Well, if you're going to eat, me better get on with it. No point in prolonging your hunger." Taku said. He lifted his hand to his chin. "Unless of course…you were never planning to eat me at all, and that this was all a giant rouse to scare the crap out of me."

Taku started to turn.

"DON'T TURN AROUND!" shouted the voice, adamantly.

"Why not? You're going to eat me, aren't you?" Taku said turning and putting his hands in his jeans' pockets. He smirked at the lack of anything behind him but a shadow. "Come on, you're supposed to be scary and you're just a bit of shadow. About as scary as a piece of pie."

"DIE!" shouted the shadow.

"Oh, yeah, I thought I was supposed to die by laying an eye on you…" Taku said, frowning. "You know, you're not very good at this, are you?"

"You must have terrors, you must have fears!" The shadow fumed, bubbling within itself.

"Taaaku…"

"Takuuuu…."

"Taaaaakuuuu…"

The boy turned to look at his bloody friends, attempting to rise up on the remains of their limbs. Taku started to laugh, giggling almost in hysterics. He turned and looked to the shadow.

"Is that the best you have!?" Taku said pointing as his body shook with laughter. He flailed his hands, "Oooo, zombies! Real scary…if I was like five! Come on! You have better tricks than that!"

"You…you shall pay!" the shadow roared as it bubbled at Taku. "The others…oh the others are strong enough! Their fear…is so delicious! But you…you're useless."

"What have you done to Jiro and Ren!?" Taku clenched his fists. "If you've hurt them!"

"They are unharmed," The shadow said, "for now."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Taku said, stepping forward. "If this is some sort of trick!"

"It's no trick." The shadow said. "I need them, their fear is strong. I'll gobble them up and free myself of my bonds."

"I see, you torture others so you can feed on their fear." Taku narrowed his eyes, glaring into the depths of the darkness. "But I see through your little games. You know why? Because, compared to me, your shadow is just a haze. I hold the Crest of Darkness, and trust me. I've seen and felt scarier things than your little mind f…"

"Luck…that is all." The shadow said, interrupting. "The power of the old Darkness is there in you."

"I'm not letting you get away with this!" Taku said taking another step forward. "You sick, disgusting thing!"

"What's that power?" The shadow shrank back as a pink glow surrounded Taku. The angel and the undead digi-destined behind the boy disappeared. The shadow hissed. "That power! It's…breaking….the…mental field….RAAAAA!"

The world burst open. Taku blinked as he saw WarGreymon thrown backwards by a spiral stream of black flowers. He looked over to the two children beside him. They were surrounded by dark energy. Streamers of the energy flowed from the children. Taku followed the streamers with his eyes – they converged on the teddy bear.

"Of course…" Taku said, he looked down. His Crest of Kindness was glowing.

"Taku!" Paildramon flew forward. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Taku said, looking to Ren and Jiro. "I have to get to them!"

"They are trapped in Belphemon's Eternal Nightmare." WarGreymon staggered forward. "We've been trying to break the link by destroying Belphemon, but he's too powerful."

"Then the only way to break the link is by going in…" Taku said, looking at the dark aura surrounding the two children. He looked up at WarGreymon and Paildramon. "Keep Belphemon busy…"

"What are you going to do?" Paildramon asked, but Taku didn't say anything he just jumped forward, latching onto Jiro.

The aura around the blonde haired boy engulfed Taku. Paildramon reached forward to pull Taku free, but WarGreymon grabbed the dragon's arm.

"Let him go, he may be of more help inside than we are out here." WarGreymon said with a nod.

* * *

OuRyuumon swung in front of Suijinmon.

"Stop this, now!" Haru shouted, pointing at Suijinmon. "You are going to help us!"

"What? No I'm not! I'm going back to my brothers!" The red machine said, stomping a foot on the ground.

"You instigated the destruction of that Destiny Stone; you're cleaning up after it!" Haru shouted, glaring at Suijinmon.

"Never! I refuse!" Suijinmon's cannons started to hum.

"Feh, you call yourself a guardian, more than that, an Elemental Guardian, and all you do is destroy." Haru said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, turn around! We have to stop whatever it is that we set free!"

Suijinmon turned and looked up. The darkness from the Destiny Stone had solidified.

"Oh, it's him…oh this isn't good…not good…" Suijinmon started to back away. "Tyrant Kabuterimon…not good…not good…king of the insects. He led the bugs against Lucemon…"

"If you were afraid of him, you shouldn't have tried to free him." OuRyuumon said as he watched the giant bug rise into the air.

"Not my choice!" Suijinmon said, turning his dome-like head to OuRyuumon. "We are programmed to listen to Master. If we don't…" The giant metal digimon trembled. "…if we don't we get shut off."

"So if you want to stay 'on', then you do what you're told." Haru looked down at Suijinmon. The heavily armored, six-legged tank was clearly terrified. His heavy, red-plated armor was clattering gently as he shook. "If Arkadimon was destroyed, you could be free."

"No…if Arkadimon is killed, we shut off. If we disobey Arkadimon, we're shut off. If Arkadimon is victorious and everything is done, we'll be shut off." Suijinmon looked to Haru. "It does not matter if we win, lose, betray or are loyal. The ending is the same."

"Then why do this!?" Haru shouted, clenching his fists and striking his legs.

"Our freedom is defined by our slavery." Suijinmon said, as he clomped forward with his front, hoofed-handed arms. "In order to live, we must function within our parameters. Every being desires existence, even if it means doing that which denies them freedom."

The air was filled with the loud rumble of insect wings. Haru looked forward. A large, lavender bug was diving towards them. Its body was like a wyvern's, no legs but a pair of giant, mechanically enhanced arms. A long, armored abdomen/tail trailed behind it. Its mouth opened and there was a horrible howl.

"Here he comes…" Haru said as the bug buzzed towards them.

* * *

"Demon Disaster!" Chaos Dukemon shouted.

Alphamon staggered backward and fell to his knees. Kisho winced, as he held his stomach. Alphamon had been subjected to nearly half an hour of constant barrage of attacks from Chaos Dukemon. The chaos knight had evaded every attacked unleashed upon him. Worst yet, was the fact that Chaos Dukemon was targeting Kisho himself, forcing Alphamon to leap in front of the attacks.

"Get up Alphamon!" Kisho shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Silence." Chaos Dukemon said, sweeping his lance around. The rod crackled with black energy that lanced forward, rushing towards Kisho.

"No!" Alphamon grunted, heaving himself and his heavy black armor up and throwing himself in front of the attack.

"You're supposed to avoid that." Chaos Dukemon said, walking towards Alphamon, who was hunched forward, grabbing his midsection. "You keep this up, and you'll die."

"You won't hurt my partner!" Alphamon growled. He winced holding his stomach.

"Your partner…" Chaos Dukemon said and then started to chuckle. "Such foolishness. He's not a partner, he's a hindrance. You can only rely on your own strength, on your own power. If you start to depend, or you start to become depended upon, you will eventually fail. The world only smiles upon those who can survive spontaneity, and the best ones for that, are solo acts."

"You're wrong!" Alphamon lifted an arm and clenched his hand into a fist.

"This again?" Chaos Dukemon said, shaking his head and sighing. "Didn't you learn from the first fourteen times? That doesn't work!"

"I'll destroy you." Alphamon said as a green aura formed around his raised fist.

"Go ahead and try!" Chaos Dukemon ran forward, disappearing into a blur of movement.

"_He's going for Kisho, he always go for Kisho when I go on the offense."_ Alphamon thought to himself. _"Then that means…"_ Alphamon turned and pointed his glowing fist at Kisho. The boy gulped and took a step backward, putting his hands up and waving them in a stopping motion. _"…that I'll have to do it this way…" _Alphamon closed his eyes and felt the wind of Chaos Dukemon sweep past him. "Digitalize of Soul!"

Kisho yelped as the stream of green energy flashed forward. Chaos Dukemon yelled as the energy struck his left shoulder, throwing the knight away from Kisho. Chaos Dukemon rolled across the ground, his blue cape curling around him. The blue caped knight rose to his feet and looked up at Alphamon.

His left arm rose up and a heavy, blue and gray shield manifested on his arm. "You got a lucky shot…"

Chaos Dukemon charged forward. He lifted his shield and swept his lance back. His cape flailed out behind him as he sprinted forward.

"_He's going to drill that shield into me and release an attack from it…_ Alphamon narrowed his eyes. _"Then that means I need to repel that attack…" _

Alphamon reached down and pulled his sword from its sheath, sweeping it forward and smashing its blade against Chaos Dukemon's shield. The shield cracked and dispersed into data. Chaos Dukemon staggered backward.

"Malt Cyclone!" Alphamon turned around in time for two spirals of crimson wind to drill into his chest.

Fuujinmon dropped down out of the sky. The thin, emerald-armored mechanoid then leapt forward and sliced one of his orange energy blades at Alphamon. Alphamon leapt backward, missing the blade.

"What are you doing here?" Chaos Dukemon shouted, glaring at Fuujinmon, who was leaping away from Alphamon's sword.

"Helping you," Fuujinmon said, landing lightly, inches away from Alphamon's blade arc.

"I don't need your help!" Chaos Dukemon said, charging forward, his lance thrust forward.

Alphamon swung his sword around and blocked Chaos Dukemon's thrust, tossing the chaos knight to the ground.

"Sure you don't!" Fuujinmon said as he leapt into the air. "Malt…"

"Demon Disaster!" Chaos Dukemon pointed his lance upward and fired a blast of energy at Fuujinmon. The wind guardian breezed out of the way of the attack and landed next to Chaos Dukemon.

"What are you doing, nutcase!?" Fuujinmon shouted, looking at Chaos Dukemon.

"I don't need your help!" the knight replied, leaping to his feet. "Stop your interference now!"

"You're going to get yourself pasted! Let me help!" Fuujinmon growled.

"No…I do this on my own." Chaos Dukemon said, grabbing his cape and throwing it out, to catch the wind. "This digimon is not skillful enough to destroy me."

"He looked pretty skillful a few minutes ago when he sent you crashing on the ground." Fuujinmon said, shaking his head. Chaos Dukemon grunted, and leaned forward as he leapt to action, thrusting his lance forward. Fuujinmon blinked. "You're crazy! A direct attack, at this distance! He'll cut to ribbons!"

"Demon Disaster!" Chaos Dukemon's lance erupted in dark streaks of lightning.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon punched his fist forward, releasing a green beam of digital energy.

Chaos Dukemon's lightning was cleaved into powerless shards. The green bolt smashed into Chaos Dukemon's chest armor, cracking it. Chaos Dukemon staggered backward, his lance falling from his hand.

"So much for my plan…" Fuujinmon said, lifting one of his arms, and exposing his orange energy blade.

He then leapt forward, slicing forward Chaos Dukemon's cape flew free from his body and the dark knight dropped to the ground, exploding into black data that converged into a large, black digi-core. Fuujinmon snatched the black marble and inserted it into his chest.

"Don't try running." Alphamon said. His palm was held out with an aura of green energy swarming around it.

"Please, don't make me laugh." Fuujinmon said, and waved to Alphamon. "Bye bye…"

"Don't…move…" Alphamon said reaching forward as a strong wind swept a cloud of dust past Fuujinmon. The dust cleared and the emerald digimon had disappeared. Alphamon glowed and reverted to Dorimon. The little purple ball of coarse hair sighed. "I reverted all the way to my In-Training form, how embarrassing." He looked up and saw Kisho running towards him. Dorimon bounded towards his partner. "Are you ok, Kisho!?"

"I'm ok." Kisho said, holding his ribs. "Well, ok enough…" Kisho winced as he knelt down next to Dorimon. "We better go back, just in case though."

Dorimon nodded and hopped in Kisho's arms, much to the boy's groaning, and Kisho turned, walking back to the field teleporter.

* * *

Jiro shivered on his bed. His blankets were wrapped tightly around him. He could hear it breathing, in deep raucous breaths.

"Please…please…please…" Jiro whispered under his breath, clenching his hands together in prayer. "Please…come…please someone…please…"

"No one's coming…" chuckled the voice. The bed started to shake. "NO ONE'S COMING!!!"

Jiro screamed as his fingers dug into the mattress.

"STOP! PLEASE!" shouted Jiro as he curled up on the bed, putting the pillows over his head. "Please…stop…please…"

"Little boy…" there was a scratching sound on the head board of the bed. "It's time to eat you up, little boy…I'm coming to get you, little boy."

"No!" Jiro scrambled backward, covering his eyes. He spun around and looked at the door that was thumping. "TAKU! REN! AGUMON! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

"No one's coming!" shouted the voice. The bedroom door exploded open and Taku staggered through the doorway.

"Close your eyes! Hurry, Taku!" Jiro shouted, reaching out for the older boy. "It'll kill you if you see it!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Taku said, looking up, past Jiro. "It's lying, Jiro."

"No, it said it would kill me if I looked, I could feel it touching me…" Jiro curled his arms over his chest and shivered.

"Jiro, this is just a nightmare." Taku said walking closer to the bed, looking at the little blond boy curled up on the mattress. "That thing is just like the monster under your bed, or the monster in your closet. It's just a monster, nothing more or less."

The bed shook hard, tossing Jiro backward. The little boy screamed and curled into a fetal position on the bed as it rattled. Taku looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"You think that's funny!?" shouted Taku to the wall. He clenched his fists. "You think you scare me!? You don't! Because I know what you are, monster! And I know that even you have a nightmare! I know you have something you fear!"

The bed settled. Jiro looked up at Taku and crawled to the boy. "What's…what's the monster afraid of?"

"Me…" Taku said, pulling out his Crest of Kindness. The room howled as the pink light cut through the shadows. Taku looked down at Jiro and rubbed his head. "There's no reason to be afraid of the dark. You know why?"

"Nuh uh…" Jiro said, shaking his head.

"Because, there's nothing in the Darkness that isn't there in the Light, and if you can face the Light then you can face the Darkness." Taku said with a smile. He took Jiro's hand. "Now let's blow this pop stand."

"Wait…I want to see it." Jiro said, he started to turn.

"Don't…look…" whined the voice. "I'll…kill…"

Jiro looked up and saw a shadow hanging on the wall. "That's all it was? That's not scary!"

"See, I told you." Taku said with a smile. He took Jiro's hand. "We have to go get Ren now. She's still trapped."

* * *

There was tightness around Ren's throat. The cold was wrapped around her. She tried closing her eyes, but all she saw was them, her family, right in front of her, crying for her. When she opened her eyes it wasn't any better, she saw them hanging, choking, stabbed. The voice behind her, the creature that had done this was chuckling softly. Its voice whispered in her ears. She could feel its presence right behind her.

She was petrified with fear. Her muscles were stiff, locked in their positions. Her neck was stiff, but she was too afraid to move.

"Mmmm, you smell so nice…" The voice said in her ear. Ren jumped slightly, like a coiled spring, released from its bondage. She felt a cold pressure on her shoulder. "Don't move, don't look behind you. I don't want to eat you too fast. I must savor your rich flavor…"

"Renamon…please…where are you?" Ren whispered, as she looked forward.

"Ren!" shouted Jiro's voice, from behind her. She started to turn, but a cold blast of air, reminded her of the warnings and she quickly looked ahead. "Oh…no…Ren…"

"You bastard…" Taku's voice said. "It's one thing to scare a little boy…but to do this…you're one sick mother…"

"Stay back…or I will hurt her!" shouted the voice. A cold claw wrapped around Ren's neck. She closed her eyes and whimpered.

"Don't give us your empty threats, they don't work on us!" Taku shouted.

"Don't worry, we're coming." Jiro called to Ren.

"There is nothing empty about this threat!" The voice said as it applied pressure to Ren's throat. Ren coughed as she felt her air supply being cut off. She flailed grabbing at the source of pressure.

"REN!" Taku shouted. "What are you doing!?"

"I'll kill her…" the voice said, laughing. Ren felt it lifting her up. "I'll crush her throat. Stay back! STAY BACK!"

"How, I thought you said he wasn't real!" Jiro shouted.

"He must have gotten a lot power from Ren…" Taku growled. "Is that it?"

"She believes…that's all I need." The voice said, dropping Ren to the ground.

Ren gasped for breath, her vision danced as she coughed.

"Ren, are you ok?" Taku asked.

"I'm…fine…" Ren said, lifting a hand to her throat.

"Get away from her…" The voice said. Ren felt the cold air sweep around her. "I will kill her if you don't leave. LEAVE!"

"Crap…" Taku said. "Come on, Jiro…let's go…"

"That's right, run away…" chuckled the voice. "I'll keep this one with me. She's so sweet, and tender…oh she's tasty…"

"No…" Jiro's voice shouted. "Let her go!"

"NEVER!" roared the voice, Ren felt a pressure in her chest and she started coughing. Her left arm twinged with pain and she closed her eyes. The voice laughed and the pressure increased. "Get away, little boy! GET AWAY! I'LL KILL HER!"

"NO!" Jiro shouted, loudly. "Ren, you have to fight back! If you give up, he'll kill you! You have to fight! Think, Ren, think! He told you not to look at you that if you did you'd die, right!? Well, we're looking at him, he hasn't killed us!"

Ren's eyes opened. A green light was flooding in from behind her, mixed with a pink light. It shown through her family and they became hazy phantoms.

"How did you get here?" Taku asked. "You were in the Digital World. You're still in the Digital World…this isn't real, Ren. It looks real, feels real, even tastes real, but it isn't real. It's a big lie."

"He's trying to get you scared, Ren!" Jiro's voice shouted. "You have to ignore him! Don't believe him, don't listen to his words!"

"SILENCE!" roared the voice. "If you listen to them, if you turn around, I will crush your heart in your chest…I'll make you cry tears of blood…I'll make your lungs pop like overly inflated balloons! Stay here…don't move. Don't listen to them!"

"Ren…come here." Taku said. "Come to my voice. We won't let him touch you."

"Taku…" Ren stood up. The pressure was leaving her chest.

"KNEEL!" shouted the voice, a blast of cold blowing her long brown hair.

"NO!" Ren said, shouting to the ceiling. She turned around. A shadow was hovering between her and the boys. The boys' four crests were glowing. The shadow was hissing, trying to stay out of the light of the crests. Ren walked towards the shadow. "You're done now…get out of my head."

"NO! I'LL MAKE YOU…" The shadow screeched as Taku and Jiro walked forward. The shadow leapt away from the crest light.

Ren looked up at Taku and smiled. Then she leaped forward hugging him tightly. "I was so scared…I was…I thought….it was so horrible…what it did to my family…"

"It wasn't real, this is a nightmare." Taku said, holding Ren. "Well…for some of us…"

"Huh?" Ren said, looking up.

Taku pointed down. And Ren looked, and saw she was just in a towel.

"What is it?" Jiro asked.

"PERVERT!" Ren punched Taku, knocking the black haired boy backward. Ren then turned and glared at the remains of the shadow. "Oh, and you are much worse! You put me in my own dream, naked! WHAT KIND OF SICKO ARE YOU!"

The apartment started to tremble like Jell-o. Suddenly the entire room shattered. Ren blinked and quickly felt Taku and Jiro hugging her. She instantly looked down and sighed to see she was clothed and out of the nightmare.

* * *

"Shine of Bee!" The massive bug, Tyrant Kabuterimon, roared forward, lifting his hands and producing large balls of energy in his mechanical palms. The balls of light fire streaks of energy at OuRyuumon and Suijinmon.

"Oukai!" OuRyuumon crossed his arms and a barrier of yellow energy rose up in front of Suijinmon, blocking the attack.

"Mugen Cannon!" Suijinmon's cannons flared as he fired bolt after bolt into the lavender insect.

"OuRyuumon…we need to go on the attack!" Haru said as Tyrant Kabuterimon curled away from Suijinmon's firepower.

"Eiseiryuuoujin!" OuRyuumon sliced one of his giant, curved claymores forward, releasing a golden, serpentine dragon that twisted through the air towards Tyrant Kabuterimon.

The insect looked behind it, with its curved, triangular head and opened its mouth. "Bee Cyclone!"

A tornado hummed from the giant beast's mouth. OuRyuumon's dragon was engulfed by Tyrant Kabuterimon's tornado of bees. The tornado spun forward, the insects within it swarming in an unnatural fury.

"Accel Arm!" Suijinmon stomped with his hoofed arms, smashing the heavy, metallic hooves into the snow. The ground shook and the snow undulated and then exploded upwards as a spike of ice, stabbing through the heart of the tornado. The tornado's revolutions slowed down and the humming became tamer. Suijinmon pointed his large, shoulder mounted cannons at the bees. "Mugen Cannon!"

Two blasts cleared the tornado. Haru looked down at the machine as it galloped ahead of them.

"The ice slowed down the bugs…enough for him to destroy them." Haru said, watching as Suijinmon fired on Tyrant Kabuterimon, who twisted around the attacks easily. "We need to pin him down!"

"I'll get him…" Suijinmon said as he smashed a hoofed arm down and a bridge of ice shot up towards the insect. "You strike him down when I have captured him."

"He's too strong for you!" OuRyuumon said, looking down at the sturdy, red digimon. "He'll destroy you."

"I must serve my master." Suijinmon said he looked up at Tyrant Kabuterimon. "We must stop him before he gets to a city. He'll destroy everything."

"Then why did you free him?" Haru shouted, in exasperation.

"My master needs the power inside the beast." Suijinmon said. "It means freeing these creatures that are far too powerful for us to defeat on our own that is why you must bring him down, digi-destined. I will go, and restrain him!"

Suijinmon galloped up the ice bridge

"Wait!" Haru shouted down to Suijinmon.

Suijinmon charged forward. Tyrant Kabuterimon howled smashing an armored fist down on Suijinmon's bridge. The red, walking tank stomped his foot down on the remains of his bridge and spears of ice smashed into Tyrant Kabuterimon, curling around his shoulders and arms. Suijinmon then fired a barrage, from his cannons, into Tyrant Kabuterimon.

"Now's our chance!" Haru shouted. "OuRyuumon! Go!"

"Eiseiryuuoujin!" OuRyuumon crossed his blades and then sliced them both forward, releasing a pair of twin dragons that twisted into a helix around each other.

OuRyuumon then dove forward, chasing the energy dragons. The two dragons drove through the front of Tyrant Kabuterimon and then tore out the bug's back. The giant, lavender monster roared, thrashing free of his icy bondage.

"Shine of Bee!" Tyrant Kabuterimon fired a beam of light at Suijinmon. The red digimon crouched down as the beam struck his heavy, red armor, pushing him backwards.

"Mugen Cannon!" Suijinmon responded shooting the beast in the head.

Tyrant Kabuterimon reared backward, crashing into the ground below. The massive bug exploded into data and Suijinmon leapt down from his ice bridge to where the data was coalescing.

"What are you doing!?" Haru shouted, his voice coming out as giant puffs of steam.

"I am collecting the power of this digimon for Lord Arkadimon." Suijinmon replied as a compartment in his chest opened, drawing in the digi-core that had formed.

"You don't need to do this!" Haru shouted, down to Suijinmon. "Fight it! You have good inside of you! You don't need to serve Arkadimon!"

"For my freedom. I must be a slave!" Suijinmon's cannons swiveled around, pointing at OuRyuumon. The red beast started to laugh. "I've got you in my crosshairs, OuRyuumon. Mugen Cannon!"

"Oukai!" OuRyuumon put a shield up, blocking the attack.

Haru winced as the shield sizzled. He looked up. "Hey where'd he go?"

"He just disappeared…" OuRyuumon said, looking around. "He must have used that power he has over the snow, like Fuujinmon did with the wind."

"I'm really starting to wonder…" Haru said quietly. He looked down. "I don't like this at all. It's getting really complicated."

"They are freeing the Destiny Stone digimon." OuRyuumon said, as he curled around and started flying back towards the teleporter. "They must be stopped. If what Suijinmon is true then Arkadimon wants those digi-cores for himself. Which can't be a good thing."

"But can we justify killing them?" Haru asked, looking back at the curving, elegant remains of Suijinmon's ice bridges. "They are only doing this for the chance to live. They don't get a choice in the matter…"

"We have to stop them…" OuRyuumon said, sweeping down towards the ground. A village appeared in the clearing of the forest below. "Or else a lot more will suffer."

* * *

"No…you infants…" hissed the voice of Belphemon. The children looked up. The small, teddy bear-like koala hovered in front of them. "How dare you escape?"

"Where's WarGreymon?" Ren said standing up and looking around.

"Ren…you're safe…" WarGreymon's voice whimpered. Ren spun around and saw her green armored partner tied up in ropes of lampranthus blooms.

"Paildramon!" Jiro shouted, running to the dragon. It was lying on the ground, covered in black-burning flower petals.

"Jiro…you're safe…" the dragon groaned, trying to get up.

"Lampranthus!" the koala chuckled and a stream of twisting blooms exploded into Paildramon's chest, throwing the dragon backward.

"He's…stronger…than anything we've faced…" WarGreymon said. The ropes of black lampranthus blooms tightened and the dragon woman warrior roared in pain.

"You drop them now, Belphemon!" Taku shouted, pointing to the koala. "Let them go!"

"Are you ordering me around?" The koala laughed and hovered forward. "You may be able to see through my nightmare, but even you can't dismiss reality. I'm just warming up…The fear you gave me…it was so delicious. I gorged myself. I am literally overflowing with your terror…" The little teddy bear strained against his chains. The links started to bend and crack. "Yes…soon all will share my dreams…all will share my nightmares…"

"What's happening?" Ren asked, as she looked up. The chains snapped releasing a blast of energy. Dark energy engulfed the koala.

"I'll give two guesses…and the first one doesn't count…" Taku said taking a step back as the darkness grew larger.

Large, leathery wings unfurled as the darkness withdrew back into the beast before them. It looked like some ungodly cross between a goat and a bear. It had an ursine, muzzled face and curling goat-like horns. Its chest was emblazoned with a large, tattoo that looked like a dental imprint. Its huge hands had large claws with long energy talons overlaid on them. The beast was easily the size of a house and its dark, chocolate-black fur was short, showing the taut, strong muscles underneath.

It raised its head and roared into the air. The ground shook with the howl. The beast lowered its head and its glowing, red eyes glared down at Taku.

"Are you frightened now?" the beast asked, in a horrible, garbled, gravelly voice. "I have more power than I ever did enough power to enforce my will on the entire world. My nightmares will flood the minds of every being in this plane of existence."

"I can't let you do that." Taku said, extending his arms, making himself a barricade to the beast in front of him. "I can't let you put anyone else through that torture. I can't let a disgusting, perverse beast that delights in the pain of others out into the world. Your work stops here."

"You have no means of stopping me." The beast chuckled, taking a step forward. "You are nothing."

"No, we're the Digi-destined!" Jiro shouted. He was kneeling next to Paildramon, helping the dragon to its feet. Jiro looked up at the beast. "That means something. It means we can't just stand back and let you do what you want. We'll fight you till the bitter end."

"This battle is already over…" the beast said, spreading his wings. "I have no time for this."

"Desperado Blaster…" Paildramon gripped his hip cannons and lugged them upwards, firing on the beast.

The creature stopped and glared down at the dragon. "You must understand you have no hope of defeating me." The beast looked over to where WarGreymon was still bound by lampranthus petals. "Even with your WarGreymon friend, you were no match for my weaker self."

"There…is always hope…" Paildramon said, with Magnamon's voice. "As long as there is hope…we will always continue to fight…we will never stop." The dragon narrowed its eyes and its voice changed to that of ExVeemon. "As long as there are creeps like you, who like to torture children, scare little boys, and disgust girls, we will fight you. You won't escape from us…we've just begun to fight!"

"Is that so?" The beast said, lowering back down to the ground, landing with a flap of his massive wings. "Then I have no choice. Lampranthus!"

The tattoo on the beast's chest glowed and thousands of black blooms flew forward exploding into Paildramon, lifting the dragon into the air and then throwing him into the ground. The beast then pounced, leaping forward, opening his wings and dropping down on top of Paildramon. The massive digimon lifted his energy clawed paw.

"Paildramon!" Taku and Jiro shouted.

Their two crests flashed with light.

"Paildramon….Mega Digivolve to…" The dragon erupted with green and pink light. The beast rose into the air as the light reached out, burningly towards him. A ball of light howled upwards. Huge, black furred paws pushed out of the light. A black, wolf face howled as its golden, metallic torso formed from the light. "Metal Garurumon!"

The black furred, golden armored, cyborg wolf leapt forward, smashing its paws into the side of the beast's head. Two golden airfoils popped out of the wolf's shoulders and glowed, giving the lupine digimon the power of flight. The wolf looked down to WarGreymon. Its black snout flared with a blue light and fired two lasers down, cutting the flowery bindings around the dragon woman.

Metal Garurumon dove down and stood next to the kneeling, injured WarGreymon. The dragon woman looked up at the wolf.

"You look pretty spiffy, for little dinosaur and an arrogant bat." WarGreymon said, taking deep, painful breaths.

"And you look like something a MechaNorimon passed after eating bad sea food, you know, for being a self-righteous vixen that is." The metal wolf said, more with ExVeemon's voice than Magnamon's, leaning forward and pressed his snout against WarGreymon's shoulder. "I'll give you some of my energy. You know how Taku and Jiro are, always over doing it…"

A rainbow of colors swept over WarGreymon. The dents and burns in the dragon-woman's armor disappeared. The cuts on her flesh disappeared. WarGreymon stood up, and clenched and unclenched her clawed hands.

"Hehehehehehe…" The beast was hovering over them. "Such meaningless shows of affection. You can't destroy me!"

"Oh for once, to have a villain with a bit of modesty." Metal Garurumon said turning and glaring up at the beast. "If you're so tough, come for us, big boy!"

The beast growled, frowning at the wolf's words. He brandished his claws and dove down. "I'll crush you!"

Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon rocketed upwards, meeting the beast in midair. There was a tremendous crack of thunder, followed by a visible shaking in the air. Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon retreated as did the beast, all three hanging in the air, glaring and growling at each other.

"He's strong…" WarGreymon said, looking to Metal Garurumon.

"Well, duh." Metal Garurumon said, shaking his head. "I'm glad you're wearing your deerstalker today, Sherlock…"

"I'll commend you on having the strength to hold me back…" The beast said, hovering in front of the two Mega digimon, "but you can't win."

The beast's chest tattoo glowed and millions of black flower petals came swirling forward. Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon dove out of the flowers' way, but the rivers of black petals chased after the two digimon.

"That's not fair!" shouted Ren as she watched the two Megas streaking across the sky attempting to evade the flower petals.

"I'm coming to get you!" laughed the beast as the flowers closed in on WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon. "Don't turn around or I'll catch you!"

"That's it!" Taku and Jiro said, snapping their fingers in synch. "Turn around!"

"What, are you nuts!?" shouted Metal Garurumon as he galloped through the air.

"We're serious!" Taku and Jiro replied, together, as one. "The flowers, attack them! Now!"

Metal Garurumon twisted around, looking down at the torrent of flowers swirling towards him. He opened his mouth and howled. "Freeze Breath!"

A blast of ice fired forward, smashing through the flowers, turning them into little ice sculptures. Metal Garurumon smirked and then turned to where WarGreymon was and dove towards her. He opened his mouth and fired a blast of ice towards the river of black blooms chasing her.

The beast snarled as he watched his flowers frozen by Metal Garurumon. The wolf and the dragon woman hovered above him. The beast roared and flew towards them, his claws extended.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" ports opened all over Metal Garurumon's body, firing missiles and lasers down upon the beast.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon drew up a huge orange ball of energy into her hands and tossed it at the beast.

The missiles and lasers smashed into the beast, covering him in ice and the ball of energy exploded into him, throwing out of the air, onto the ground. WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon descended, looking at the crater in the ground.

"Is that all…?" The beast's voice asked. The huge, muscle-bound creature rose out of the pit that he'd when he crashed into the earth. "Is that the best you can muster?"

"This guy's just a bad dream." Metal Garurumon said, glaring down at the beast.

"We have to work together." WarGreymon said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the rising creature. "It's an act. He's favoring his right wing. We hurt him. He's just attempting to scare us."

"Then we should call his bluff." Metal Garurumon said, glaring at the beast.

The beast fired a blast of lampranthus blooms at WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon.

"This is our opening!" WarGreymon said as she looked to Metal Garurumon.

"Right!" Metal Garurumon nodded. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Freeze Breath!"

Metal Garurumon's ice cut through the flowers. WarGreymon pressed her arms together and started to spin. "Grand Tornado!"

WarGreymon twisted around Metal Garurumon's ice, creating a massive orange cyclone of energy that surrounded her body. The beast reared back as his flowers were repelled by the combined strike.

"No! NO!" the beast screamed.

Metal Garurumon's ice and WarGreymon's tornado struck the beast at the same time, drilling the creature into the ground. WarGreymon leapt way from the beast as he smashed back into the earth.

"You're finished." Taku said, walking forward.

Jiro was behind him. Ren walked cautiously towards Taku as well. The three of them closed on the beast. It was still breathing, but there was a giant hole in its gut and its breaths were crackling with labor.

"Hehehe…" The beast turned its head and looked at Ren. "The frightened girl…so selfish, but hiding her self consciousness underneath." Its red eyes fell on Jiro. "The little boy of Light, so confused, so afraid of being alone…he doesn't know what's going on, or what's coming…" The beast then looked upon Taku and took a deep, rattling breath. "And finally, the valiant Child of Darkness…so soon to die in battle…yes…so soon…your true fears will be brought to fruition…and you will die…" The beast looked at the other two children, "because of them."

Taku glared at the beast as it dissolved into data and formed into a black orb. Raijinmon leapt out of the nearby bushes. WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon leapt forward, but the Elemental Guardian fired a bolt of lightning from his heavy, black gauntlets. He snagged the orb and ran. Taku hadn't even flinched. He just glared at where the beast had been lying.

"Taku…" Ren reached forward and laid her hand on his shoulder. "He said…"

"It was a lie…" Taku said, glaring at the place where the beast had been. "He's a liar…"

"But Taku…" Jiro looked up at Taku's dark, black-irised eyes. "Taku he looked right at you and…"

"He lied…he's a boldfaced liar…" Taku said, pulling away from Ren. He turned around and looked at the two children. "Let's go. I don't like it here."

Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon lowered down and picked up their partners and flew upwards, their backs to the setting sun.

* * *

"There is only one Destiny Stone left." Luminel said to the angel standing next to her.

"I am aware of that." The angel said, turning. Her green skirts sweeping with her movements.

"Should I inform Gennai, maybe we should set up a cordon." Luminel said, running after the angel.

"That is not necessary." The angel said, lifting a golden-clawed hand. "If worse comes to worse. I will deal with the Destiny Stone myself…"

With that the angel left Luminel alone and exited the monitoring room.

* * *

* * *

**AN: Well, this chapter I've been working on. And woot, only one more Destiny Stone. Must say, I loved Belphemon in this chapter. Originally the nightmare guy was to be Kurayami invading Belphemon's spell, but that was far too complicated for my desires so I axed it. Don't know when the next chapter will be in…sometime. **


	44. The Last Destiny Stone

**I don't own digimon**

**The Last Destiny Stone**

* * *

_**  
**_

"_I see you all survived your encounters…"_ the hissing voice of Arkadimon permeated the shadows. The three robots had been waiting days for his return. The shadow's red eyes blinked and the shadow nodded. _"That is good…I would not wish my esteemed servants destroyed."_

"Master Arkadimon," Raijinmon knelt before the hulking darkness before him. The beige, top heavy robot glared at his two siblings. The one on the right, a red creature built like a rhinoceros, bent his arms, which acted liked hoofed legs. Raijinmon glared at the left sibling a lithe, emerald robot. "Brother Fuujinmon, show our master his respect."

"I am." Fuujinmon said, crossing his arms and glaring at the shadow. "I do not respect those that hide from their enemies and who bathe in the blood of the innocent. Even our first Master, Daemon, had the composure to only threaten the deaths of the innocent, but knew better than to act on those threats. This new 'master' is nothing but a cobbled together pro…"

"Please! Brother!" The red digimon yelped looking at Fuujinmon and slightly shaking. The red digimon looked to the shadow, "Master Arkadimon, please…please don't show your wrath! Brother Fuujinmon is jesting, I assure! Don't make us take a nap! Please! I don't want to sleep!"

"_Do not fret, my child, Suijinmon."_ The shadow said; a pair of red eyes glowing out of the darkness. _"My plans are so close to fruition, not even your brother's foul attitude could infuriate me. There is only one Destiny Stone yet to break open. I want you to go, free its prisoner."_

"There is no more room." Fuujinmon said, turning his back on the shadow. "The other cores have filled our capacitors, and further addition and we'll explode."

"_I shall collect the core myself."_ Arkadimon hissed under his breath_. "You are only needed to break the seal…and when you succeed, you will undoubtedly receive a great reward."_

"Our freedom?" Suijinmon hopped forward, clattering loudly, acting like some puppy with a new toy. "Oh please, let it be our freedom!"

"_If that is what you wish…"_ the shadow said. The eyes of the creature shifted, looking off into the distance. _"I can no longer remain here. She searches for me incessantly, only in these short instances can I use my powers to contact you…She's coming…I must go!" _

"We will do your bidding, Master Arkadimon." Raijinmon said, inclining his small, domed head.

The shadow faded, dispersing back into the wall, leaving no evidence of its existence. Raijinmon stood up, looking at the wall. Suijinmon was cheering, giggling almost dancing-well at least stamping. Fuujinmon was glaring at the floor, listening to those heavy, hoofed clanks of heavy metal on dirt floor. He heard the childish singing. He could feel the ground shake.

"Stop being a fool!" Fuujinmon shouted, sweeping his arm around sending microburst at Suijinmon. The heavy robot skid across the floor and looked up at Fuujinmon. The lithe green digimon, walked forward, glaring at the red fortress with a withering gaze. "Such childishness, show some honor! You are an Elemental Guardian, or have you forgotten that!?"

"But even a guardian is allowed times of joy…" Raijinmon said, lifting one of his heavy, steel hands. "Let Suijinmon have his joy."

"Raijinmon, how can you remain calm?" Fuujinmon said, glaring at Suijinmon. He looked to his lightning brother, giving the beige digimon a sidelong glance. "You can't believe that Arkadimon will give us our freedom!"

"The Master said he would," Raijinmon said, turning to look at his siblings, "there is no reason to believe otherwise."

"Arkadimon lacks honor!" Fuujinmon said, shaking his head. "He is lying to us."

"Since when, have you been interested in honor?" Raijinmon asked, walking past the two other digimon. "You are not the noblest being, Fuujinmon. You have told your own share of lies. How can you accuse our Master of the same thing, without first questioning yourself?"

"I at least tell my lies to the face of those I'm lying to." Fuujinmon said, crossing his arms over his chest again. "Arkadimon lurks in the shadows as if he is afraid of his own subordinates. He has yet to show his face to either me or Suijinmon!"

"Is it not enough that I have looked upon his face, dear brother?" Raijinmon asked, turning to Fuujinmon. "There is no reason to disbelieve the Master." Raijinmon put his hand on his chest, patting it. "He is the power that makes me go. He is my motivation, and his gift is my reward!"

"Yeah, the Master will let us free!" Suijinmon said, standing to his full height next to Raijinmon, looking down at the shorter Fuujinmon.

"Do not make us look ungrateful, Brother Fuujinmon." Raijinmon said, extending his hand to Fuujinmon. "The Master is giving us a great opportunity."

"If you wish to believe it." Fuujinmon said, he reached forward, grasping Raijinmon's hand. The beige robot pulled Fuujinmon in, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, brother." Raijinmon said, holding the green robot closely. "Thank you…"

* * *

"This is the last Destiny Stone." Luminel said, as she pointed up at the screen to a pond of murky, green water. "It is submerged under this pond."

"So what, are we going to do?" Haru asked, looking at the screen. "Are we going to go and camp out in front of it to try and stop the Elemental Guardians?"

"Uh…no…" Gennai said, walking into the meeting room on crutches. He slipped into a chair near the door and took a deep breath. "Metatromon does not think that is such a good idea."

"What!?" Haru looked up at Gennai, his mouth wide open. "If anything we finally have a chance to be a step ahead of them! We know we're more powerful than them, now!"

"Lady Metatromon says that at this point it is better to attempt to allow the Elemental Guardians gather the final digi-core and then attempt to recover the Destiny Stones' power." Gennai said, reaching forward at a bowl of fruit in the middle of the table. "Oo, apples."

"I don't trust her." Haru said, crossing his arms, as he watched Gennai snatch one of the red fruit and take a happy bite out of it.

"I must also state that I feel uneasy around her." Luminel said, looking at the children and then to Gennai. "She is very bitter, and she has become more and more unpredictable and illogical."

"Luminel, Luminel, Luminel…" Gennai said wiping juice from his chin. "Logic isn't part of this. Metatromon is in a position where she is facing a monster from her past. This situation has direct links to the world she fought and sacrificed to escape. She is overcome with bad emotions, horrible nightmares, and memories tainted with darkness. It is only logical that this position would make her illogical."

"But Master Gennai!" Luminel stood up, putting her hands on the table. "The children, she's negating their very presence. The prophecies! The Founders!"

"Say that only the ones from the physical world can stop the power of Kurayami." Gennai said, shifting in his chair and putting the apple core on the table. "I have not forgotten that, Luminel. However, they say nothing about the power of Arkadimon, or the power of the Elemental Guardians, or the tainted power of the Destiny Stones."

"But…aren't they the same thing?" Kisho said, scratching his head. "I mean the power of the Elemental Guardians and the power of Arkadimon."

"Is your strength also the strength of your father?" Gennai asked, looking at the brunette. Kisho scratched his head and then shook it. Gennai winced as he stood up, gripping the crutch balanced against his chair. "You see, the prophecies and the Founders only mentioned you as the final solution. They never mentioned you defeating Baronmon, Matadormon or the Elemental Guardians. They never even spoke of you stopping Arkadimon. All of that was assumption…the same assumption, in fact, that Kisho has just made."

"Then why were we taken to File Island!?" Ren looked up, angrily glaring at Gennai. "Why put us through all that pain, and suffering? Why put us in that much danger?"

"The 'real you' is brought out in times of crisis." Gennai said, leaning against the crutch. "The digivices, the crests, none of it would've worked if you'd had been allowed to live a life of comfort." Gennai turned and started to walk away. "Now, please, trust Metatromon. She has the best in mind, even if her actions seem cold or careless."

"Kisho, Haru, say something!" Ren said, looking at the brunette and then to the blonde. She turned her head and glared at Taku. "You at least should have some sort of objection to this!"

"Gennai's right…" Taku said, standing up and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "He and Metatromon are the leaders, they know the history. We should wait."

"But…but!" Ren yelped. She looked anxiously to the others even to Luminel.

"We will have to wait." Luminel said, putting her hands into her robe sleeves. "I am sorry children."

* * *

Metatromon glared at the flames at the ends of the candles that circled her. Her skin crawled. She had never spent this long without contact with the Founders. Even her hair tingled.

"Why…" Metatromon said to herself. "Why did I hesitate to kill Arkadimon? Why haven't I worked more with the Digi-destined? Why can't I hear the voice of the Gods anymore?" Metatromon rubbed her arms as she shivered. "It's so quiet…why am I afraid?"

Suddenly her eyes seared. She closed them shut. The pain drove beyond the orbits of her eyes and into her brain, where the pain turned into the loud gonging of a cathedral bell. Her hands clasped the sides of her head trying to stop the reverberating peals of the mental bell. Her entire body burned as her nervous system discharged pain at the same time. Metatromon hunched forward, placing a hand on the floor to keep her from falling forward.

"Destiny…Stone…" Metatromon hissed under her breath. She raised her head and a thin smile played over her lips and she started to chuckle. "The Destiny Stone is under attack."

* * *

She looked down at the three digimon in front of her. The heavy red one took a clanking step backward. The green one crossed his arms and the tan one only inclined its bean shaped head. Her hands reached to her sides, gently clasping the hilt of a kunai-shaped halberd.

"So, now we wait?" the green one asked, looking to the top heavy tan digimon.

"If you wish to test your strength against her yourself, Fuujinmon, go ahead." The tan one said, casting a look up to her.

"She's really strong…" The red one was shuddering. Its thick, rhino-like legs quaked at the knees.

"They don't make them like her anymore." The green said, looking at her up and down.

She frowned and her hand curled tightly around her sword's hilt. She gritted her teeth and sprung into the air, the three android digimon below her scattered into three directions. She landed several feet from her previous position and looked up. Her eyes fell upon the rock. She remembered. These three fools weren't the ones. It was another that had put her in the stone, but it didn't matter. She needed practice.

She leapt forward, charging towards the red digimon. It was heavy and moved slowly. The halberd swung to her side as she ran. She felt her blue braided hair flopping against her snake-head helmet. Her snake leather battle skirts pressing against her skin. It was all flowing back to her now, after years of imprisonment the flow of battle coursed through her veins.

"Mugen Cannon!" yelped the red digimon firing two clumsy eruptions of energy.

She easily dove around the attacks. The red digimon was retreating, backpedaling trying to retarget. Suddenly from her left something flashed to attention. She shifted her weight and leapt into the air. A spiral of red wind drilled into the air. She swept her head around and saw the lithe green digimon rushing towards her, a pair of red energy blades slicing towards her.

She brought her kunai-sword over her chest. The green digimon smashed its weapons against the flat of her sword. A gust of wind swirled around her. She gritted her teeth and pushed back, throwing the green digimon backward towards the earth. She then tipped forward, diving after it.

"Blitz Arm!" A bolt of lavender lightning flashed in front of her and she twisted out of the bolt's way, swinging her kunai and putting all of her weight behind the throw.

The blade hummed through the air. The tan digimon that the sword was aimed at leapt backward with remarkable agility considering its top-heavy bulky construct. She hit the ground running, charging towards her halberd. The green digimon was sprinting next to her. Her hands swung up to her chest and her fingers flipped and twisted, interlocking and releasing until she could feel her inner strength bubbling up. She looked to the green android and opened her mouth. A stream of flames roared forward. The confused digimon staggered and leapt backward, tripping over his own feet and toppling backward. She looked up and swept her hand out snatching her sword as she passed it.

"Elekugel!" The tan digimon was back at it, this time the barrels affixed to its shoulders were sparking to life and firing bolas of electricity at her.

She swept one of her arms up and a shield with a spiked front materialized on her arm. The bolts of electricity pelted against the shield. The ground shook under her feet. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a crack snaking its way across the earth. She leapt into the air, the small wings on the crown of her helmet splaying open. The green digimon rushed under her and looked up.

"She can fly, too!?" the green digimon shouted to the tan digimon.

"I would expect less from Lady Minervamon…the last of the Olympian Gods." The tan digimon said, staring up at her. He then lifted one of his heavy, steel arms. "However our Master wants her dealt with. Blitz Arm!"

The purple lightning was curling snapping through the air. She swung her shield in front of her. The blast of lightning exploded against her shield. She was ready to strike back when…

"Terra Force!"

She spun around and sliced through a tossed ball of fire. A second group of digimon had come into her presence. A cold smile cut across her face.

"Finally a battle fitting my strength…" She said as one of the digimon in the new group, a giant golden armored dragon, dove forward brandishing a giant machete.

* * *

Gennai winced as he looked up at the screen. The order had sent a Guidemon to monitor the battle. OuRyuumon was dug into the ground a good five feet. Alphamon had his head stuck in the side of the Destiny Stone. WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon were being twirled around and around like a couple of shot-puts. Gennai glared up at the screen watching as Minervamon tossed the wolf and the dragon-woman into two of the Elemental Guardians, Fuujinmon and Raijinmon. The snake woman back-flipped away from Suijinmon as he fired barrage after barrage from his cannons.

Minervamon leapt behind her halberd, grabbed it by its hilt and then flung it forward and the sword smashed into Suijinmon's chest, sending the armored fortress staggering backward as it tried to lift its hoofed forearms forward to dislodge the offending penetration. The woman then jumped forward, landing on her sword's hilt and looked down at the small, domed head. Her boot swept around smacking the side of the red, robotic battle-fortress's head. Suijinmon staggered back and forth and Minervamon leapt from the hilt and as she dropped past her sword she snatched it from Suijinmon, unleashing a wave of sparks.

"They're getting pasted…" Rathiel said from behind Gennai. The blonde-haired man walked in front of Gennai. "I mean…"

"They are facing an Olympian God…" Gennai said, flicking an aggravated glance at Rathiel. "I'd like to see you do better."

"But it's like…seven on one." Rathiel said, staring up at the screen with his golden eyes.

"And weren't expecting any help from the Elemental Guardians…" Gennai said, frowning as he watched Minervamon pull Alphamon from the Destiny Stone, only to swing the knight around, by the large wing covers on his back, and threw him into the rising form of OuRyuumon, knocking the dragon back to the ground with a loud clattering smash.

"How can they be getting pasted so badly…?" Rathiel said wincing as he watched WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon were used like cymbals by Minervamon. "Aren't those two the same species as two of the digimon that sealed Lucemon?"

"Well, if those two had Super-God juice running through them, then they'd be kicking butt too." Gennai said as he hobbled over to a chair and slumped down into it. Minervamon lifted Raijinmon up by his chest armor and flung him over her head like a tin can. Fuujinmon slashed forward, only to cut thin air. Minervamon appeared behind him and slapped the green digimon with the flat of her halberd sending the guardian of the wind bouncing, smashing and rolling across the ground. Gennai looked up at Rathiel. "At least the Elemental Guardians are just as hopeless."

"Look! WarGreymon is getting up!" Rathiel shouted, pointing up at the green and red armored dragon-woman. Her burnt and bent armor was cracking from the pummeling she'd been taking.

Minervamon turned around, her hands moving in sharp actions, making symbols with her fingers. Minervamon nodded as her fingers stopped with two of them pointed in WarGreymon's direction. Shadows leapt up from the ground grabbing the dragon-woman's feet. WarGreymon froze.

Minervamon stood still as WarGreymon strained, turning around and walking stiffly towards Metal Garurumon. The metal wolf was struggling to its feet. Metal Garurumon looked up at WarGreymon. The dragon-woman lifted her gauntleted arm and slammed her claws downward. The wolf barely leapt out of the way in time as WarGreymon lurched forward slicing her claws at the wolf.

"I forgot about that…" Gennai said, lifting his hand to his face and shaking his head.

"What is WarGreymon doing? Get after Minervamon, Metal Garurumon is on our team!" Rathiel shouted, pointing at the screen and stamping his foot as if he was watching a sporting event.

"Minervamon was known as a top notch shinobi and had considerable powers pertaining to the use of chakra and spirit energy…" Gennai said, peeking through his fingers at the screen and listening to the gasps of the other Order members in the control room. "They say she learned every technique learnable…and was masterfully proficient at anything that super-imposed her will on another, such as…" Gennai winced as WarGreymon's claws dug into the ground again, "shadow manipulation…and puppetry."

"Well, it's not a problem now…" Rathiel said as he watched WarGreymon stunned into submission by Raijinmon. Rathiel cross his arms over his chest as he watched Minervamon sweep up to Raijinmon and put several hundred fast-paced fists into the tan-robot's thin abdomen, sending the digimon smashing back to the ground.

"Lady Metatromon, please, you're still in pain!" Luminel's voice shouted from behind Gennai and Rathiel.

The two Order members turned and watched as the female angel lurched into the command room. Her helmeted head, with the seven stars of the Digital World emblazoned on it, tilted up looking at the screen. Her ethereal wings of fluffy light spread out and her gauntleted hands curled into fists.

"They are incompetent fools!" the angel shouted at the screen as she watched Minervamon throw Suijinmon into Alphamon and OuRyuumon. "ALL OF THEM!"

"Please, they are doing their best…" Gennai said, pulling himself up to his feet.

"Their _best_ is not nearly close to being close enough." Metatromon said clutching her emerald dress. "I should've known they wouldn't be strong enough for this!"

"It is a lot to ask of them…" Gennai said, lifting his hands. "I mean Minervamon is an Olympian God…her skills are difficult to match."

"I deal with that wench…" Metatromon said, turning away from the other Order members and leaving the room, pushing past Luminel as she did.

"Gennai shouldn't we…" Luminel said looking to the man as he leaned against his crutches.

"No…I wish to see her deal with the situation in her own way." Gennai said, raising his hand.

"But in her condition." Luminel gulped looking back down the hall that Metatromon had gone down.

"It's because she is in this condition that I wish to see what it is she will do." Gennai said as he turned and looked up at the screen. Minervamon was standing between two mounds. The mound on her left composed of WarGreymon, Fuujinmon and Metal Garurumon – the mound on the right composed of Raijinmon, Suijinmon, OuRyuumon and Alphamon. "Plus I am sure all this rage being flung upon the digi-destined is because Minervamon isn't getting the rematch she's been waiting for since she was locked away in that Destiny Stone."

"What do you mean?" Luminel walked forward, looking up at the screen.

"Metatromon was the one that sealed Minervamon away." Gennai said, wincing slightly and slumping back into his chair. "Seven Destiny Stones, seven generals sealed away, seven angels to seal them. And to think after all those years, it comes down to Minervamon and Metatromon."

* * *

"They aren't moving…" Ren said, her eyes were already flowing with tears. "Why aren't they moving?"

"She's beaten them unconscious…" Taku said, his eyes narrowing as he slumped back against the rocks they were hiding behind.

"They should be de-digivolving." Haru said, shaking his head and running his hands through his blonde hair.

"Do you think the Elemental Guardians finally decided to give up on Arkadimon?" Jiro asked, looking up at his brother.

"I doubt it." Haru replied, putting one of his hands on his chin.

"They need the digi-core." Kisho said, standing up and looking over the scene. "That's the only reason they're helping us."

"If that's them helping us…" Taku said, looking up at the sky. "I'd hate to see them not helping us."

"I don't think this is the time to joke!" Ren said, glaring down at Taku. "Our partners are hurt."

"Don't you think I know that!?" Taku shouted back. "But what can we do? Minervamon thrashed our partners; I'm pretty sure she'd do a whole hell of a lot worse to us if we tried anything." Taku sighed as Ren put her hand over her mouth and took in a sharp breath that preceded another burst of tears. Taku looked at the ground and then looked back up at Ren. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"No, you're right…" Ren said waving her hand at him.

"There has to be something we can do." Jiro said looking back to Taku and Ren. "We can't give up. We came all this way and to get beat up…like this."

"She's just way too strong." Haru said as he watched the snake-clad woman. She seemed to have grown tired of beating on their partners and on the Elemental Guardians and had piled them into two heaps. Haru clenched his fists. "If we just could find a weakness."

"I don't think we'd find one." Kisho said, looking at the two piles of digimon, looking for any twitch of sign of movement. "Even if we found one, she moves so fast, and has so many tricks that we'd be hard pressed to implement it into a strategy."

"We need to retreat." Taku said, looking up at Kisho and Haru. "We need to back off and…"

"Run away…" Metatromon's voice said, interrupting Taku. The children turned or looked up and gaped as the female angel swept forward. She looked down at Taku. "Just like you to cower and run away."

"He's right!" Ren said, pushing in front of Taku. "It's not right to keep fighting when you can't win."

"So you give up?" The angel asked, pursing her lips. "Gennai picked a group of quitters."

"No…" Jiro said, looking up at Metatromon. The angel took a step back as the little boy walked forward. "It's not wrong to run away when the enemy is too strong. We aren't quitting. Only people who are stupid run into fights they can't win. A lot of people are depending on us, and we can't let the bad guys finish us off."

"Stupid children…" Metatromon said, snarling slightly at Jiro.

"If you're just here to talk down to us, just go." Haru said, glaring at the angel. "We don't need that."

"If I left it to you alone, Minervamon would skewer you all alive." Metatromon said, turning her head and looking at the battlefield. "What pathetic little creatures…I wonder why I decided to use them as my pawns…"

"We aren't pawns in your game, Metatromon." Taku said, standing up, and looking at the woman.

"Taku's right, we're people, and we're the digi-destined." Kisho said, clenching his fists. "We follow our own destiny, not yours. We aren't going to play your game."

"Tch, you weren't playing it." Metatromon said, as she breezed past the stones the children were hiding behind. Her head turned slightly so she could give them a glance from the side. "You were losing it. Allow me to show you how the game is played."

* * *

They were impotent, insufficient, children. She was tired of crushing them and breaking them and throwing them. She needed her enemy, her rival, her nemesis.

Suddenly, her wishes were fulfilled. She could feel the energy of that woman, that angel. Minervamon clutched her halberd. This time she was going to cut that angel's pretty wings off. She saw the angel, by a group of rocks.

Minervamon's teeth pressed against each other as they ground together. She glared at the angel, her blood boiled, pumping under her skin. That angel had imprisoned her in a rock for so many years. There was no reason, other than fear for her imprisonment.

The angels wanted to defeat Lucemon. In order to do so they trained seven digimon to think, to act, to manifest personalities similar to Lucemon's. They were special, a group of military thinkers set up to counteract Lucemon. In the end, it was their drastic actions and strategies of obliteration, extermination and callousness that stopped Lucemon's advance. However, no one remembered that in the end. They only remembered the Seven Great Angels, particularly Metatromon, beseeching the Founders to stop Lucemon. It was those memories that allowed those clean-handed monsters to gain power and allowed them to pass judgment on the war crimes committed by the generals that saved many from Lucemon's power.

Minervamon growled under her breath. The angels were hypocrites. They created the generals, and then rebuked them for the actions they were trained for, and the angels feared them. The generals were too powerful, too much like Lucemon. So, the angels, in their fear, threw their power against the generals, and one by one sealed them away in little rocks.

Minervamon launched forward. It was her time to get that which her brothers could never gain – revenge.

"METATROMON!" Minervamon swung her halberd forward, throwing it at the angel.

The sword passed through the image, the angelic figure flickering slightly as the sword cut through it. Minervamon drove her heels into the dirt, skidding to a stop and looking up at the flickering, lily-white skin of the image.

The divine image looked down. "You fool, letting your emotions get the best of you."

"An astral projection!" Minervamon scowled, suddenly something pricked her peripheral vision. Minervamon leapt into the air and turned. Metatromon was walking out from a clump of bushes. "You can't fool me twice, Metatromon!"

"Oh, silly girl." A chill ran up Minervamon's back as she slowly turned. Metatromon was hovering behind her. The angel smirked. "I wouldn't trick you…"

"Voice of Yahweh!"

Minervamon blinked it didn't sound right. Suddenly like a ton of bricks it hit her. The Metatromon on the ground was the real one. Minervamon spun around as a thrumming wave of sound was quaking towards her. The goddess dove backward, twisting around and thrusting herself towards her sword. She grabbed the sword hilt, swept around the blade, using her momentum to yank the blade from the earth, and then using the sword's momentum to propel her forward. She charged towards Metatromon. The angel just stared, watching Minervamon, without sign of interest or worry.

Minervamon sliced forward. Her blade clanked against the metallic gauntlet on Metatromon's hand. The falcon like wings on the angel's wrists unfurled. Minervamon growled as she was thrown backward. Minervamon crashed to the ground.

"I'm going to get my revenge!" Minervamon said, leaning forward.

"No you won't." A spear of lightning formed between the wings on Metatromon's right hand. "Substitutes can't get revenge for the real thing. Divine Strike!"

* * *

"The Elemental Guardians are getting up!" Jiro shouted pointing forward.

"We should get our partners out of here." Kisho said, as he pushed out from behind the rocks. Metatromon and Minervamon fought in the distance. "Let Metatromon deal with this."

"How are we going to move them?" Haru asked, following Kisho as he ran across the pop-marked ground.

The other children pushed out from behind their cover, too. They ran crouched down to avoid any free flying shrapnel and to keep a low profile so Minervamon or one of the Elemental Guardians wouldn't notice them.

"WarGreymon!" Ren said as she broke away from the others, running to her partner.

The dragon-woman's armor was shattered in several places, twisted horribly in others. Her emerald helmet was crushed and portion of the underlying flesh were bruised. Trickles of blood or the digital equivalent ran down the digimon's arms and shattered face.

The other digimon weren't any better off. Alphamon's wing covers were twisted into black metallic spires. His armor was torn in parts like construction paper. OuRyuumon's yellow scales were scorched and a number of the giant dragon's teeth were gone from its mouth. Its beautifully crafted swords were cracked and snapped apart. His heavy, axe-like wings were bent and twisted into uncomfortable positions. One of Metal Garurumon's airfoils on his shoulders was ripped completely out. The metallic face mask that covered the wolf's snout and skull was torn free, showing the horrible, furless flesh of the lupine's face. His tail was torn loose from its back, with sparking wires snapping loudly as the bladed tail laid on the ground.

"We need to get them out of here." Jiro said as his hands ran over Metal Garurumon's face, trailing over the lumps where wire inputs had connected the wolf's mask to its flesh.

"They are too big." Taku said, kneeling beside Metal Garurumon.

"They are now…" Haru said as he stood beside OuRyuumon. He grabbed his digivice, "but maybe we could de-evolve them."

"We can do that?" Kisho asked, looking back at Haru.

"Why not…" Haru said, pointing his digivice at OuRyuumon. "That power must return when they de-digivolve normally. OuRyuumon, de-digivolve…"

The giant dragon glowed, reverting to a tiny red digimon. The creature was unconscious, but Haru quickly snatched it up. The other children quickly followed suit and together they started to run. There was a loud explosion and the children dove for the ground. They looked back. It looked like Minervamon's battle with Metatromon was reaching its final conclusion.

* * *

Minervamon winced as her vision blurred, while the substitute reverted to its doll form. She closed her eyes and then looked up. Metatromon was scanning the area. Minervamon growled and then leapt up, from behind the Destiny Stone. Her hands flitted in front of herself as she prepared herself. She took a deep breath and blew, sending a wave of flames down at the angel, who had her head turned away.

The angel pulled herself backward and the flames blew past her. She looked up at Minervamon and sliced her gauntleted arm towards Minervamon. Shards of lightning flashed past Minervamon as she dove for the ground, rolling into a somersault and leaping forward towards her halberd that her substitute had left. Minervamon made signs with her hand as she crouched behind her sword, glaring at Metatromon. The shadows of Minervamon's halberd shot forward, reaching towards the angel.

Metatromon flared her ethereal wings and the brilliantly pure light of her wings burned forward, cutting the shadows into impotent shreds.

"Divine Strike!" Minervamon heard Metatromon say as her halberd was thrown into the air, turning end over end. A second spear of light was rocketing towards her. Minervamon back flipped as the ground where her feet had been exploded into electrified molten soil.

Another bolt of lightning thundered past Minervamon as she cart-wheeled away. Her sword was still flipping through the air over her. Minervamon twisted as her feet rose into the air, she walked on her hands as shards of light erupted into the earth and then she leapt onto her feet and jumped into the air grabbing her sword in mid-air. She hit the ground, skidding slightly and then counterbalanced against the friction of the ground and pushed herself forward. She reached down to the belt that tightened her snake-skin battle skirt to her body and yanked three kunai tied to the belt. She threw the kunai with one hand. The small, rhomboid blades were slapped away by Metatromon's hand. Minervamon then dove in close and swung her sword around for a large slice. Metatromon pinned the sword down with her other hand and launched herself into the air. Minervamon in one fluid motion leapt over her pinned sword and snatched a few more kunai tied to her belt, twisting and launching them at the airborne angel. The angel crashed to the ground in a heap. Minervamon extracted her sword from the ground and walked forward. Metatromon was hunched forward, on her knees, holding her midsection.

"This time it ends differently, angel." Minervamon said, holding her sword out to one side. "I will get revenge for all the others that you tortured, moving us like pawns across a game board, treating our war with Lucemon like a giant game, sacrificing us to the enemy, and, then, when our war was over you turned our own men, our own families against us. Metatromon you are a worse criminal than Lucemon. At least Lucemon had the scruples to kill only his enemies."

"Now…" Metatromon hissed with an insect like buzz building in her voice. "NOW!"

"What?" Minervamon blinked and then she felt the blasts, which threw her from her sword.

There were three of them, a blast of lightning, an energy cannon and a cutting wind. Minervamon grunted as she rolled to her feet. Those three android digimon had blindsided her. Metatromon lifted to her feet. Her left hand held the kunai that Minervamon had launched at her. Minervamon bit her lip – she'd been stupid and let Metatromon lure her in, and distract her as her other enemies recouped.

"The game remains the same, regardless of the players, Minervamon." Metatromon said lifting the hand that held the kunai. "You committed a cardinal sin. You let the game get personal, Minervamon. Now, I'll call it. Checkmate, four moves."

Metatromon sent the kunai flying towards. Minervamon scrambled backward, scuttling across the ground as the kunai struck the ground in two waves of three. She jumped backward, but Metatromon already had a bead on her and a spear of lightning tore through her shin. Minervamon crashed to the ground, as Metatromon moved forward.

"I won't give in!" Minervamon shouted sweeping her hands up to make a sign to command her chakra.

"It's over." Metatromon swept her foot out from under her dress and struck her hand, pinning her arm to the ground.

There was a loud cracking noise and Minervamon's face scrunched up as the pressure to scream built up in her throat. Metatromon looked down at Minervamon and took a deep breath, opening her mouth. The angel's voice was drowned out by the rumbling thunder that shook Minervamon to her very core. She could feel her digital matrix being shook like silt in a gold prospectors' pan, and then there was darkness and nothing.

* * *

Kisho peered over the rocks again. The others were behind him, holding their partners. He didn't know why they hadn't run away. They'd planned to, but then the explosion had dropped them and Jiro had twisted his ankle a little. So they retreated behind the rocks. The battle had shaken so heavily on the other side of the rocks. Kisho had watched it for the most part.

The Elemental Guardians had moved, almost as if instructed by some unseen force, to a place hidden and out of view. Kisho kept his eyes on the real fight, watching the quick movements of Minervamon, while keeping watch on the Elemental Guardians out of the corner of his eye. The snake-leather clad woman was very focused on Metatromon. The angel was almost blasé in her actions, as if she was bored. The angel's confidence was almost tangible.

Minervamon on the other hand seemed frantic and her movements were brimming with passion and rage. Kisho gulped as Minervamon hit Metatromon with a set of tiny blades and the angel feel to the ground. The Olympian God stalked forward, holding her sword to her side. Kisho turned and pressed his back against the rocks.

He felt guilty. Part of him wanted Minervamon to hurt Metatromon badly, but part of him, wanted Metatromon to beat Minervamon. The two sides of his psyche were fighting against each other.

He looked to the others. Haru was tending to his little brother, with Taku hovering near by. Ren was stroking Viximon's fur. There was a sudden explosion, the children all jumped in surprise. Kisho scrambled to his feet and peered over the rock, he'd been leaning against. The three Elemental Guardians were stalking forward. Metatromon was on her feet, and Minervamon was crouched on the ground. The angel then went on the offensive and within in seconds Minervamon was laying on the ground, with Metatromon's foot on her arm. Kisho looked away as the final attack was employed.

He slowly turned his head back after a couple of minutes. Metatromon was holding Minervamon's digi-core in her hands. Kisho turned back to his friends.

"She won." Kisho said, leaning against the stone. "Metatromon won."

Taku was the first to stand up and he walked over and looked over the rock. "Is that a good thing?" Taku frowned. "Now, what is going on?"

Kisho turned and looked. The Elemental Guardians were standing around Metatromon.

"They're going to attack her…" Kisho said, he looked down at Dorimon, who was still unconscious on the ground.

Haru and Ren stood up. Ren slipped between Kisho and Taku. Haru made sure Jiro was ok, and then walked over and hopped to look over the heads of the others.

"What's she doing?" Haru asked, hopping and frowning in frustration.

"I don't know." Kisho said, watching the angel as she looked at the three androids. She lifted her hand with the digi-core. "What is going on?"

"She wouldn't give up the digi-core, would she?" Taku said as he watched the scene.

"She could easily blow those three out of the water." Haru said, giving up on actually watching and instead standing behind the other three thinking, with his hand on his chin.

"Actually, it looks like she's handing it over." Ren said as he lifted up on the tips of her toes. "What's going on?"

Kisho gulped as he watched Raijinmon took the digi-core. Metatromon took several steps back and then the fireworks started. The digi-core exploded into a translucent globe that encompassed all three Elemental Guardians. Lightning seemed to snake across the surface. Shadows within the globe shifted and were drawn together. The globe started to condense and glowed brighter.

"I think we know what's going on…" Kisho said, as he watched the light faded.

A giant green beast walked forward, some sort of cross between a crab and a tank and a scorpion. It was the size of a house and its heavy feet crushed the ground underneath it. Its bulky arms swept forward. Its ray-gun stinger tail swung back and forth. Metatromon looked up at the small domed head that was attached directly to the front of the creature's body. The angel turned, and looked directly at Kisho. She lifted her hand and pointed.

"She's…" Taku said, taking a step backward.

"She's…betraying us!" Ren shouted, looking to the others.

The monster marched forward, the ground trembling under its weight. Its eyes glimmered as it closed in on the children. The creature's left arm, equipped with a large energy cannon, rose and the energy cannon charged.

* * *

**AN: Merry Christmas, and stuff. **


	45. Release of the Elements

**I don't own digimon**

**Release of the Elements**

* * *

The huge, barrel shaped turbines on the back of the giant tank-like robot's back hummed to life as energy thrummed from within. Kisho fell backward as a pair of huge orange balls formed in front of the barrels. The energy spheres were tethered together by chain of energy.

"Kirlian Planet!" The energy blasts flew forward twisting around each other on the chain of energy between them.

Kisho hugged Dorimon and lifted his arm up against the blaze of light rocketing towards them. He gulped.

"Kahuna Wave!" Shouted a familiar voice. Kisho looked up as a ghostly sprite swooshed past. The orange fire of the bola was blocked out by a pink, heart-shaped shield. The digimon was hovering in front of Kisho on tiny wings. It turned his large head to the boy. The plush digimon gritted his teeth. "Run…run…now!"

"But what about you, Marine Angemon?" Kisho said, looking up at the digimon.

"Run!" Marine Angemon shouted as the shield started to crack. Suddenly a giant, heart-shaped bubble formed around the digi-destined. "Just get as far away as you can!"

The bubble started to rocket away, leaving the scene behind, but Kisho could see the giant mound of flames that bubbled up signifying the attacks full release.

"Marine Angemon!" Kisho shouted, slamming his fists against the walls of the shield. The flames twisted and spread out. Kisho punched the wall again as hot tears burned down his cheek. "MARINE ANGEMON!"

"What just happened?" Jiro said as he looked down at the ground through the bubble's film.

"Some digimon just saved our butts." Taku said, looking up at Kisho.

"Who was it?" Haru asked, looking to Taku.

"He was some digimon that Kisho found when we first started trying to stop the Destiny Stones from being broken." Ren said as she looked up at Kisho.

"He was an idiot…" Kisho said as he leaned against the bubble's wall and slid down. "He was always trying to take on things fifty times his size…stupid little angel…He should've ran with us…"

"Kisho there's no reason to believe he's…" Haru said, reaching forward.

"Metatromon will pay…" Kisho growled, gritting his teeth. "How could she!?"

* * *

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Metatromon was standing over Marine Angemon; the giant robot was looming behind her. "I told you not to get in my way…"

"You betrayed us!" Marine Angemon grumbled as he tried to rise into the air, but his left wing felt like a spike was running through it. "You gave up the last digi-core to Arkadimon's flunkies!"

"I did, didn't I…?" Metatromon smiled as her clawed hand drew under Marine Angemon's chin. "Where are those children?"

"I don't know!" Marine Angemon said, pushing away from Metatromon with his vestigial arms. "Wherever the bubble sent them!"

"You heard him, Raidenmon." Metatromon said, turning to the digimon behind her. "Go after them. It doesn't matter where the run now, their powers are drained. They'll be easy pickings."

"Yes…master…" The digimon said as air rocketed out from underneath it and the mammoth machine rose into the air. Rockets on its back flared to life and Raidenmon roared away in the direction that the bubble had went.

"Master…then that means! NO!" Marine Angemon turned to attack the machine, but foot fell on the back of Marine Angemon's head, driving it into the dirt.

"Shhh…" Metatromon said as a cold smile cut across her lily-white face. "Secrets are best when kept."

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Taku asked, as he looked up at the others. DemiMeramon was curled up on his lap sleeping. "We're pretty powerless like this."

"We aren't powerless…" DemiMeramon said opening one eye. "Just really, really tired…"

"Give us a few hours…" Viximon said, the little golden fluff ball looking up from Ren's lap.

"I don't think we're going to get a few hours." Haru said, looking up.

The other children turned. The giant robot that had formed form Raijinmon, Fuujinmon and Suijinmon was rocketing towards them. The energy cannon on its scorpion-like tail flared as an energy stream flew towards them, exploding against the walls of the bubble the children were in. The children were thrown around the heart-shaped balloon as a second and third blast struck them.

Energy crackled against the walls of the energy bubble as portions of it bulged. The monster robot was nearly hovering on top of them. Its tiny dome-shaped head swiveled in its socket. It lifted its left hand up charging its energy chain-gun.

"In the end this is our duty." The robot said as the gun hummed with building energy. "Your destruction will fulfill our program."

"No!" Ren shouted, squirming against the balloon away from the robot. "Please you can't!"

"It is necessary, our master commands it." The robot said.

"And when you complete your work what will happen to you?" Haru asked, looking through the lavender film of the bubble to the robot. "What will your precious master do to you then?"

The gun's up-swinging hum flattened. The robot didn't respond for several minutes and then, "Subject Raidenmon will be deactivated for an indeterminate amount of time."

"In other words you'll be shut off." Haru said, stepping forward. "Is that how a master thanks his servants? 'Oh, you did a good job finishing off those digi-destined, now I'll just turn you off.' It doesn't sound like it would be worth the effort, you deserve better. "

The creature's head swiveled left then right. "You are attempting to confuse us. Your destruction must take place!"

Raidenmon lifted the gun and the energetic whine started again. A bead of energy condensed at the muzzle of the cannon.

"No!" Raidenmon's free arm slammed down on its gun and the energy bullets exploded downward into the coniferous forest below. The children looked up at the digimon as it struggled against itself.

"Brother Fuujinmon, release!" demanded Raijinmon's voice from within Raidenmon.

"I won't be shut off for doing a good job!" Fuujinmon's voice shouted as Raidenmon pressed down on its gun-hand. "I deserve to live!"

"The master's will…is our command!" Suijinmon's voice retorted as the gun lifted up. It spat up a set of bullets, one of the stray munitions sliced through the bubble around the children.

The bubble protecting the children exploded and they started to tumble towards the ground. Raidenmon continued to jostle itself in the air as its component parts disagreed. The children and their digimon tumbled through the air, crashing through the forest canopy and landing hard on the ground. The children and their digimon groaned in unison as they rubbed their sore muscles and bruised appendages.

Kisho sat up and stared in the sky. Explosions laced the sky. He looked back to Haru who was picking up Gigimon.

"How did you know that would work?" Kisho asked, looking back at the blonde haired boy.

"I didn't but…the last time I ran into Suijinmon he mentioned that they were in a lose-lose situation." Haru said, walking forward.

"It bought us time, but we can't expect them to keep bickering like that forever." Taku said, dusting himself off as he stood up.

"Then maybe we should get moving." Jiro said, picking up Koromon in his arms. "Lots of digimon are depending on us, right?"

"We just need to buy time right." Ren said, looking down at Viximon.

"A few hours at least…" Viximon said nodding in Ren's arms.

"What if we could get into those mountains?" Ren asked, pointing upward at the peaks ahead.

"If we could find some caves." Haru said, walking forward and looking up at the mountains. "We could hide for weeks…"

"Then come on, let's go…" Kisho said, walking past both Haru and Ren and pushing through the fern undergrowth.

The children walked all afternoon and into the evening. They stayed under the trees, hoping to hide from Raidenmon. They could at times hear the rockets of the giant digimon as it flew over. It was a little after sunset when Ren simply stopped moving and dropped to her knees next to a big pine tree.

"I'm hungry." The girl said, looking up at the dark sky.

"There isn't time to eat, even if we had something to eat." Kisho said, walking up to Ren and extending his hand to help her up to her feet.

"Well, I refuse to move an inch until I've eaten something." Ren said, curling her knees under her arms.

"Now's not the time to be stubborn." Kisho said, sticking his hand under Ren's face.

"Kisho, we all need a rest." Taku said as he sat against the pine tree. Jiro sat down next to him.

"We can't afford a rest." Kisho said, turning around.

"Raidenmon could show up at any moment…" Haru said, as he searched the sky.

"He could show up if we are moving." Taku replied, leaning against the tree.

"Get up, you guys!" Kisho said, sweeping his arms upward. "Let's go!"

"Kisho, let us rest a bit." Ren whined, as she laid down in the pine needles. "Our feet hurt and we're tired…"

"And we have a homicidal robot chasing us!" Kisho said, turning around to look at the girl. "Come on guys…"

"Kisho," Haru walked up next to the brown haired boy, "it might be wise to let them have a rest. It's dark now; this forest should blanket us pretty well. We'll give off less thermal energy sleeping and it will give us a chance to recoup…" Haru looked down at Gigimon in his arms. "Our digimon are more drained than they let on. It could be dangerous to force them into a fight…"

"Dangerous?" Kisho said as he looked down at Dorimon, sleeping his arms.

"Well, they've drained all the way to their In Training level…if we forced them to fight they could revert even farther when the fight is over." Haru said, as his eyes fell on Koromon and Jiro. "They could end up like DORUmon after he evolved to DORUghoramon…"

Kisho's eyes widened and he looked up at Haru and then he looked down at Dorimon. "If what you're saying is true…then, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to rest for the night."

Haru nodded and walked over to the tree and leaned against it. Kisho sat next to him.

* * *

"You lost them?" Metatromon said, looking down at the crystal in her hand. The refracted and cracked image of Marine Angemon struggled inside the crystal cube. She tilted her head back slightly to Raidenmon behind her. "How could you have lost them?"

"They escaped, there was a malfunction in our weapons' systems." The robot replied, bowing forward.

"I see…" Metatromon said, turning slowly around. "Fuujinmon interfered."

"No..." Suijinmon's voice shouted from Raidenmon. "It was a…"

"I'm not an idiot, Suijinmon." The angel said, walking forward. She looked to the eastern sky. The morning glow of twilight flooded the eastern horizon. Her ethereal wings spread out and she rose off of the ground and landed on Raidenmon's back. "I will come with you. We'll find them, and when we do, you had better finish the job."

"We will destroy them this time…we promise!" Raidenmon said, its voice shuddering slightly.

"You had better or…" Metatromon said, she stomped her foot down and a wash of lightning erupted across Raidenmon's surface. The robot whimpered loudly as the electricity coursed through its metallic body, "…well, I shouldn't have to tell you the consequences…"

The robot rose into the air and then rocketed off, a small pearl of glowing light standing on top of it.

* * *

Growling stomachs forced the children up. As they opened their eyes, they found, much to their surprise that their partners had, in their sleep, returned to their Rookie form. This of course gave them a lot of hope, but it also brought to the forefront their biggest problem.

"Kisho, I'm hungry." DORUmon whined as he looked up at the brown haired boy.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have anything to eat." Kisho said, as he pulled his pockets inside out to prove it.

"Maybe we can find some food." Guilmon said as he snuffed the ground.

"We will need food in order to achieve full strength." Renamon said as she gave Kisho a sidelong look.

"There isn't anything to eat though!" Kisho said, looking at everyone.

"Actually…" Haru walked alongside Guilmon as he pushed his nose through the layers of pine needles and elm leaves. "In a mixed boreal forest like this…we may get lucky and find some edible mushrooms." Haru looked back to Kisho. "It won't be much, but it's better than nothing."

Kisho scratched his head and sighed. "Ok."

The children followed behind Agumon, DORUmon and Guilmon as they sniffed through the ground. DemiDevimon and Renamon moved along the flanks of the group. The forest dipped into a shallow valley and a patch of old elms rose up from the ground reaching into the sky. The kids gasped as they looked down, mushrooms popped up everywhere on the ground. As the children and their digimon partners brushed aside the leaf litter they revealed even more. Before long they all had a armful of the gray fungus.

"These kinds of mushrooms are very bitter." Renamon said as she pulled out a few of them and inspected them. "However, if we cook them, they become pleasant to eat."

"Taku, could you go gather some firewood?" Kisho asked as he helped the others gather more mushrooms.

"Uh…sure." Taku said, he looked down at DemiDevimon and then he and the bat digimon walked away.

The ground where the elms had grown was considerably soggy, and the twigs and other kindling were far too damp to use. Taku continued to walk back up the hill that they had descended and back into the pine forest. Pretty soon he was picking up fallen twigs and branches. He frowned slightly.

"Why are we doing this?" DemiDevimon asked, suddenly, landing and putting down a bunch of twigs he'd gathered in his claws. "Actually, why isn't anyone helping us?"

"I don't know." Taku said, sitting down on the ground. "Kisho asked. I guess I didn't even think about it."

"Things have really changed…" DemiDevimon said, looking up at the sky. "You and me used to be the outsiders. Ren used to be whiny…"

"She still is." Taku said, smirking slightly.

"Well, she was right about it this time." DemiDevimon said, looking at Taku. "Haru used to be a bit of a jerk, and now he's more civil. Jiro used to be a little kid all alone, and now he's actually part of stuff."

"Kisho used to be all wishy-washy and now…" Taku stopped talking as he thought about it. "Now, he's becoming more of a leader."

"We've actually become more than individuals in a group…" DemiDevimon said, looking back toward the elm outgrowth. "We've become a…."

DemiDevimon stopped as he heard a familiar rumbling sound, the roar of rockets rushing overhead. Taku jumped to his feet as he saw Raidenmon fly overhead.

"He's heading straight for them!" Taku shouted, as he ran towards the elm grove.

"Wait for me, Taku!" DemiDevimon shouted, flying after the boy.

Taku and DemiDevimon ran towards the hill. The valley erupted in flame. The wave of heat knocked Taku backward and he landed hard on the ground. DemiDevimon fluttered in the air, trying to stay stable.

"No…" Taku whispered as he crawled up to the lip of the hill.

Some trees were tipped to one side. The flames crackled in the epicenter of the elm forest. Small flying digimon were squawking and flying out of the flames' way. Taku could feel the ground trembling and heard the smashing of trees and the loud clunk of heavy metal feet. The smoky shadows of the forest twisted and swirled away as Raidenmon emerged out of the destruction, standing on top of the metal beast was Metatromon, her wings glowing brilliantly against the acrid smoke.

"Child of Kurayami, you are all that's left!" Metatromon shouted, staring at him from her perch. "The others have all perished, purified by the flames of my holy warrior."

"You aren't holy!" Taku retorted, pointing at the angel. "You aren't even nice. You're a monster."

"I beg to differ." Metatromon said. Raidenmon started to walk forward. Taku slowly backed away as the metal beast climbed the hill. The creature came to a stop and Metatromon looked down at Taku like a person stares at an ant. "You, human, are the monster." Metatromon swept her hand out and a pointed a golden claw at Taku. "Nothing good can come from that tainted power you possess. You are trying to fix a world that is shattering around you. Only one being can fix this world."

"I suppose you think it's you?" Taku said, backing away from Raidenmon, towards a line of tall pine trees.

"It has to be me." Metatromon said, putting her hand on her chest. "No one else has the fortitude to make the decisions that have to be made."

"What are we going to do, Taku?" DemiDevimon asked, hovering behind Taku's shoulder and looking up at Metatromon and Raidenmon.

"One thing I have to know…" Taku said, looking up at Metatromon. "How can you bear to team up with Raidenmon? The Elemental Guardians were Arkadimon's hit men."

"The Master needn't answer your question!" Raidenmon said, swinging his massive arm-mounted gun down and pointing it at Kisho.

"Taku, tell me you have a plan…" DemiDevimon whimpered, as he heard the cannon whine to life.

"Just one…" Taku said, as he looked from Metatromon to Raidenmon.

"What is it?" DemiDevimon asked.

"Run!" Taku shouted, turning and sprinting into the pine forest. DemiDevimon hovered in the air for a few seconds before noticing he was alone, and then he dove after Taku.

"Don't lose them!" Metatromon shouted.

Raidenmon's rockets roared to life and Taku could hear the beast breaking through the forest canopy. Taku didn't care though, he had to keep running. If he was really the last of the digi-destined, then he had to get to Gennai and warn him. DemiDevimon dove in and out of Taku's view, gliding in front of him as he ran.

The round bat turned its head back to Taku. "Why isn't she shooting at us?"

"She's made this personal." Taku replied as he ran. "She wants to see our faces when she finishes us off. Just blowing us up isn't enough." Taku bit his lip and thought about what he just said. "This isn't right, Metatromon is far too clinical and cold to let a personal vendetta derail her plans…she's acting way too weird…something's not right…"

"Uh, Taku, we're running out of forest!" DemiDevimon shouted as the trees started to become more spread out.

"Back into the forest." Taku shouted as he skidded through the pine needles and scrambled back towards the deeper forest.

Raidenmon was close behind. The robot was seemingly tailing them, but was unwilling to overtake them. Taku ducked and weaved through low hanging pine branches. DemiDevimon flew in front of him, looking for places to hide.

"You can't hide, Taku Yoshida." Metatromon shouted. Raidenmon was hovering overhead.

Taku kept running, running until he looked forward. A giant granite wall was in front of him. They had been closer to the mountains that it had looked. Metatromon and Raidenmon had herded him to a dead end. Taku turned around. Raidenmon crushed down in front of him, snapping trees like so many toothpicks. The robot took a heavy step forward, blocking off Taku and DemiDevimon's escape.

"You see, Taku Yoshida…we're so similar." Metatromon said, staring down at Taku.

"First of all: No, we're not." Taku said, glaring up at Metatromon. "And second of all: How the hell do you know my name and when did you start using it!?"

"Oh, none of that is important." Metatromon said as she lifted her hand. Raidenmon's scorpion-like tail rose up and the ray-gun stinger purred to life. "You won't be alive long enough to appreciate the irony of the situation. I'm sorry, my little pawn, but it's time to sacrifice you. Raidenmon finish him…"

"Grand Tornado!" A reddish-orange tornado slammed into Raidenmon's side. Metatromon staggered slightly as the giant robot jolted from the force.

Taku blinked. A golden knight dropped down in front of him. Taku fell backward as he looked up to see Magnamon standing in front of him. Jiro was holding the knight around the shoulders, clinging on to him.

"But…but…I…we…the fire!" Taku shouted as Magnamon scooped him and DemiDevimon up and then rocketed into the air.

"Renamon heard him coming." Magnamon replied as he flew. Taku turned his head and looked down. WarGreymon was quickly retreating away from Raidenmon, who was already firing his rockets, he could see Ren riding on the dragon warrior's back. "Haru suggested that we time our retreat to mask the fact that we survived. Kisho has developed a battle plan."

"And Ren and I decided to be the rescue team!" Jiro said, pushing a handful of mushrooms into Taku's face. "DemiDevimon eat these! They are very good; we cooked them in the flames made by Metatromon."

"You cooked while we were running around!?" DemiDevimon shouted, however Jiro giggled and shoved the mushrooms into the bat's mouth.

"We have company…" Magnamon said, tilting his head back.

Taku looked back. Raidenmon was rushing up behind them. It lifted its cannon arm and fired several streams of energy at Magnamon. The golden knight twisted and dove out of the beams' way.

"Take us down…" Taku said as energy beams burned over his head.

"Just a little bit farther…" Magnamon said as he attempted to put on more thrust.

Taku narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiro. "We're going to get shot down like…"

"Digitalize of Soul!" A stream of green energy exploded from the mountains, below.

Suddenly OuRyuumon rose up out of a mountain crevasse. He swung one of his swords forward. "Eiseiryuuoujin!"

A golden twisting energy stream smashed into Raidenmon at nearly the same time as the green laser beam. The giant robot faltered backward against the two attacks. Metatromon was nearly bucked off and clung to the robot with her gauntleted hand.

Magnamon dove for the rocks. The knight landed, putting Taku and Jiro down. Taku turned to DemiDevimon.

"I think this is supposed to be our chance." Taku said, lifting his digivice.

"Let's do it!" DemiDevimon said, nodding. Taku nodded and energy reached out from his digivice to the bat. "DemiDevimon digivolve to ExVeemon!"

Taku looked up at the sky. Raidenmon was scanning everything below him. It looked like Metatromon was lashing him with some kind of energy whip. Taku growled, almost feeling sorry for the big digimon.

"No time for fooling around." Taku said; he looked to Jiro. "She's become a monster. We have to finish this now, before it gets worse."

"All together." Jiro nodded. "We have nothing to be afraid of."

"Magnamon…"

"ExVeemon…."

"DNA digivolve to…." The royal knight and the dark dragon merged, turning into a golden armored dragon with black and white arm gauntlets and cannons. "Paildramon!" The dragon glowed again as the boys' secondary crests came to life. "Paildramon Mega digivolve to…" A wolf stood in front of them. Golden armor covered black fur. The wolf howled loudly. "…Metal Garurumon!"

Raidenmon swiveled around and dove for Taku and Jiro's position. Metal Garurumon growled and leapt into the air, the jets on the airfoils attached to his shoulders glowed as he took flight.

OuRyuumon roared forward. Taku could see Alphamon standing on the massive dragon's head. A raspberry comet curled out from the forest. It rocketed past Taku, swung back around and hovered for a bit, allowing Ren to jump down.

"Go get them, WarGreymon!" Ren shouted as the dragon warrior rocketed off the join the others. The girl turned and looked at Taku and Jiro. "Come on, we have to get over to where Kisho and Haru are."

The girl then quickly proceeded to run down a mountain trail. The two boys looked at each other and followed her.

* * *

In the air, Raidenmon hovered in front of the four Mega digimon that were in front of him. Their master was infuriated. Their master had already beaten them for letting Taku escape their clutches. The only thing stopping their master from continuing to do so was because of the digimon in front of them.

"This, is unforgivable." Their master said, hushedly. "The whole point of them fighting Minervamon was to provide you with an easy target. This plan was idiot proof, yet you seen fit to foul it up!"

"These digimon will not stand in our way." Raidenmon said as the giant turbines on his back hummed to life.

"Raidenmon…" OuRyuumon growled; a yellow energy shield formed between the four digimon and Raidenmon. "Think about this. Do you really want to serve a digimon who doesn't appreciate you?"

"Raidenmon, if you don't destroy them, you will be destroyed." Metatromon said, curling her hand into a clawed fist. "Now, do it!"

"You don't have to listen to her!" WarGreymon said, looking at the robot. "If we fight her together we can stop her."

"You couldn't handle Minervamon, how could you plan to defeat me?" Metatromon laughed, she looked down at the robot she was standing on and tapped her foot. "Do it, Raidenmon, I grow impatient."

"Raidenmon, you know deep down, that it doesn't matter." Alphamon said, standing on OuRyuumon's head. "That if you listen to her, you're just as likely to die than if you were to disobey, but wouldn't you rather fight for your freedom than to blindly follow someone else's demands only to be destroyed because you're of no use anymore?"

"Wouldn't you rather know you were instrumental in the re-forging of this world?" Metatromon asked, glaring at the knight in black armor. "These four don't understand. They weren't around when Lucemon was in power. They couldn't understand the pain we had inflicted upon us…"

"You talk just like Lucemon." Metal Garurumon growled, narrowing his eyes at Metatromon. "You yourself said that you were the only one capable of repairing this world. That was Lucemon's goal…" The wolf looked to Raidenmon. "Do you want to be the one that allows the 'new Lucemon' to rise to power?"

"Enough of this!" Metatromon snarled. She opened her wings. The ethereal glow of her wings pulsed and energy smashed against OuRyuumon's Oukai, cracking the yellow energy shield. "Raidenmon…crush them!"

The turbines flickered with crimson energy. Two balls formed in front of the turbines and a stream of energy tethered the two balls together. "Kirlian Plant!"

The four Mega digimon howled as the pair of fusion energy bolas exploded into them. OuRyuumon seemed to gain some of his composure as he twisted toward the jagged earth and scooped up the other three digimon and rose back into the air. A yellow energy shield swept over the dragon's body.

Raidenmon grunted as he watched the scene. The destined digimon were in the way of their master's plan. They had to finish them off, or be destroyed. However, this bothered them also, that they were doing something for their master with no hope of reward.

"Are you going to do it, or do I have to?" Metatromon asked, venom dripping from her lips. "If you don't do this, then I will destroy you."

Raidenmon shuddered inwardly. He lifted his arm-mounted cannon and his stinger rose up. The turbines on Raidenmon's back charged. A crimson, static energy bubble formed around Raidenmon.

"Rising Sun!" The static bubble turned into a huge energy ball the fired forward at the injured group of Mega digimon.

The digimon disappeared in a brilliant red flash that colored the sky a twilight pink. The glare faded and Raidenmon's optical sensors came back online he could see the four Mega digimon smashed into mountainside.

"I told you to finish them off." Metatromon growled, walking forward. "You are such a pathetic idiot."

She glided off of Raidenmon's back and flew towards the digimon. Raidenmon detected the humans. They were running toward the digimons' position. Energy still crackled around the area where the digimon had been embedded into the rock face.

Raidenmon jetted forward, staying behind Metatromon. The children were standing below them now. They were looking up in horror at their partners crushed against the mountain like so many bugs against a windshield.

"Get up!" the brown haired boy, Kisho, shouted to the digimon.

"It's too late." Metatromon shouted. She spread her arms out letting the wide wrists of her top flap in the mountain breeze. "You could never have had any hope of defeating me. Nor did you have any hope of stopping Raidenmon. We're both digimon that are far out of your league." Metatromon turned to Raidenmon. "Do it now, destroy them all."

"Raidenmon!" The older blonde boy shouted. "If Suijinmon is in there anywhere, listen to me! You don't have to do this! Join us, we'll help you get free! But you have to help us!"

"Insufferable insects, they couldn't help you." Metatromon said, casting a look back at the children. "You can't even help yourself. Now, do what I said, you hunk of metal!"

"Listen to how she talks to you." The black haired boy said, calling out through the wind. "She doesn't respect you at all. Fuujinmon, if you're in there, you are a digimon of immense power, you are Elemental Guardians, you deserve respect!"

"All you deserve is punishment for your insolent ideas of freedom!" Metatromon growled, glaring at Raidenmon. "You were created as a tool of destruction and when you're done, you were meant to be shut off. It's your fate; you can't go against your fate."

"You can!" The younger blonde boy walked forward. "What's the point of hope if there isn't anyway of changing your fate? Nothing is set in stone."

"Raijinmon, even you must know your brothers want freedom from this self-imposed prison!" The female human, Ren, called out to Raidenmon. "You yourself have to have dreamed of the same thing!"

"Raidenmon, stop hiding behind your excuses." Kisho shouted, walking in front of the others. "You could be so much more than what you are. You aren't an instrument of war you're guardians. Now start acting like them!"

"If you act against me, Raidenmon, I will kill you." Metatromon said, turning her head. "Don't forget I am your master, not these children and most definitely not yourself. You wouldn't know what to do if someone didn't boss you around. Your dreams of freedom are a fallacy. Give them up, and do as I told you to."

Raidenmon's tiny eyes narrowed and he turned to the chosen children. The large power turbines on his back whirred to life. The other energy cannons placed on Raidenmon's arm and scorpion-like tail charged and a crimson sphere of energy enveloped the mechanical digimon. Through the crimson haze, Raidenmon watched as the children backed against the mountainside, pressing their bodies against the rocks.

"Rising Sun!" Raidenmon hummed as the energy ball fired forward.

The sounds of surprised screams were drowned out by the explosion. Raidenmon stared forward. The smoke quickly swept away due to the wind that was whistling through the mountains. Raidenmon looked down to see the surprised, dumbfounded, gaze of five human children, staring up at him.

"You insolent, selfish ingrate!" A voice buzzed angrily. Raidenmon turned to see the last fading remains of Metatromon dissolving. The data rising up and then back down into the creature underneath. It had fruit-rind flesh covering its body, peach-colored arms and wings with a greenish torso. Small, tentacles wiggled on the bottom of the wings. Its head was small, and insectoid. The beast lifted one of its hands and revealed long, crimson claws. "How dare you go against me!? I am your master!"

"You were my master!" Raidenmon said as his weapons recharged. "Now, you are nothing but a parasite, Arkadimon."

"Wait…Metatromon was infected by Arkadimon!?" Kisho shouted, looking up. "I thought Metatromon trounced you guys!"

"Idiot human, after consuming the holy energy of the other six great angels, I could easily tolerate her attacks. The wench didn't even know I slipped through, she was so blinded by righteous hatred that she never even noticed I was working on her mind, and maneuvering her like a puppet." Arkadimon replied, tilting his head down to look at Kisho. "She was such a perfect cloak against the barrier. However to finish my job, I must be free and that meant deactivating the stones and absorbing their power and what better way than by taking control of the one digimon capable of just that feat." Arkadimon turned to Raidenmon. "I learned that the Destiny Stones' power was indigestible by both digimon of darkness and by digimon of light. It was in hopes that neither side could ever gain too much power. However, if the Destiny Stones' power was filtered through a third party, say…digimon with elemental attributes, then the power could be consumed by the likes of me quite safely."

"Then this has all been a rouse," Haru said, looking up at Arkadimon, "an attempt to get a hold of the powers of the barrier. To keep yourself from being destroyed by it."

"It's backfired though." Taku said, walking forward. "Raidenmon isn't your toy anymore, he belongs to himself. He's not going to hand the energy over to you."

"And we're…not going to let you have it either…" WarGreymon said as she pulled herself out of the crater she and her compatriots had made in the mountain's face. Metal Garurumon was behind her. Alphamon dropped down to the ground next to the children and OuRyuumon hovered above them.

"It's quaint that you think you can stop me." Arkadimon said, looking to the battered destined digimon and then to Raidenmon. "Really, it is."

"My servitude to you is over." Raidenmon said, lifting his arm-mounted cannon. "Burn, like the monster you are."

* * *

The children watched as Raidenmon's cannon fired. Arkadimon zipped out of the beam's way and the energy streak exploded into a far off mountain. The children and their digimon looked around frantically for the evil viral digimon. Only to be stunned by the loud metallic howl of Raidenmon.

Arkadimon was hovering in front of Raidenmon and had driven its claws deep into the small, dome-shaped head of Raidenmon. The robot flailed in the air as Arkadimon sliced through the robot's body. Raidenmon exploded into data and Arkadimon hungrily ate it on the spot.

It was then that Arkadimon evolved. A black aura surrounded the beast. The rind-like flesh changed into cold, hard, gray armor. The greens became evil lavender. Arkadimon's deformed wings became much more pronounced and bat-like. Rather than fingered hands, Arkadimon's arms were ended in tentacles twisted into sharp spears.

"Get him now!" WarGreymon shouted to the others as they dove forward.

Arkadimon's new form looked at the incoming digimon and swung one of his speared hands at them, as if he were backhanding them. A wave of energy flew forward flinging the four Mega digimon back against the mountainside.

"There is no way you can stop me now." Arkadimon said, as he looked down at the children. "Allow me to prove that to you."

"Ou…kai…" OuRyuumon groaned as Arkadimon crossed his arms over his chest. A series of black dots converged at the arms' intersection.

Just as the yellow shield flickered to life, the black dots exploded. The shield buckled under the attack and then shattered. The Mega digimon dove for their partners as the mountain was burned away by the attack.

The digimon held onto their partners as they tumbled through the air. Energy crackled across their bodies as they were tossed. After several minutes, they crashed down on the ground, rolling and devolving as they did. The children were groaning and wincing as they slowly rose to a sitting position.

Kisho looked down and found a strange crystal lying next to him with large glassy balls surrounding the crystal's vertices. Kisho reached out and touched the gem. The jewel glowed and ruptured.

"It's about time…" said a familiar voice. A pink, wispy pixie emerged from the light.

"Marine Angemon!" Kisho shouted, snagging the digimon and hugging him.

"Hey, hey! Get off! You're crushing me!" Marine Angemon retorted, as he struggled in the boy's arms. The fairy struggled out of Kisho's arms and looked around at the other digimon. "What happened?"

"Arkadimon…" Taku said as he gently picked up DemiDevimon. "He was inside Metatromon all this time. He destroyed Raidenmon and absorbed all the energy that Raidenmon had from the Destiny Stones and evolved to his Mega form…and proceeded to give us a one hit knockout punch…"

"What are we going to do, now?" Jiro asked, as he rubbed Agumon's unconscious head.

"We must back to the Order." Marine Angemon said, clenching the end of his worm-like arm. "If Arkadimon is at his Mega form, there is only one thing left for him to do."

"What?" Ren asked as she looked up at the pixie.

"Retrieve the Dark Digimental." Marine Angemon said, as he looked up at the sky. "If he can get that, I don't know if anything can stop him."

* * *

"Gennai." Luminel was standing behind the man as he stared up at the static covered screen.

"Luminel, disengage the prison unit's defenses, let out the prisoners." Gennai said, not turning to look at her.

"Release the hybrids, but we just put them back into the…"

"Do it." Gennai said, turning his head and glaring at Luminel. Gennai walked over to where Rathiel was working. "Put all remaining power to the digi-egg project."

"But if we do that it will leave us defenseless." Rathiel said, looking up at Gennai with golden eyes.

"If we don't do it, it won't matter." Gennai replied as he turned and started to walk away.

"What's going on, Master Gennai?" Luminel shouted to the man as he reached the doors.

"Arkadimon's coming…" Gennai replied as he left the control room.

* * *

**AN: This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. The problem I think was I was all ready for the reveal, which many of you probably figured out right away. At the very infancy of this story, Metatromon was supposed to be Seraphimon, and that Arkadimon was supposed to have corrupted him into his shadow form. However, I liked this idea much better. **


	46. The Chains that Hath been Loosed

**I don't own digimon.**

**The Chains that Hath been Loosed**

* * *

Gennai stood out on the battlements of one of the spires that reached upward from the courtyard of the Order's headquarters. The western horizon was black, a horrible twisting darkness bubbled across the sky. A cold wind swept over his cream robes, chilling his exposed flesh.

The brickwork under Gennai's feet shimmied. The castle shuddered as the ground belched upward in an explosion of wind, fire, thunder, ice, light and darkness. He watched as five digimon rose out of the hole in the earth below.

First came Aldamon. His giant orange wings unfurled like flames. His humanoid upper body was offset by his bestial lower body. The red, armored tail lashed back and forth as the creature rose into the air.

Next was a giant blue dreadnought of a digimon, named RhinoKabuterimon. Large blue wing shields were open revealing huge, veined wings thundering as they beat up and down. The face of the giant beetle was completely covered by first a giant horn that projected from the beast's rostra and diverged into two points. A second horn projected from the insect's forehead that pushed between the diverged points of the digimon's rostral horn. A fleshy frill surrounded its neck.

Thirdly was a fat, blue digimon that leapt through the hole in the ground. It was a penguin, shaped like an egg with small feet and short flipper-like wings that held two icicles, one red, one blue. It was Dai-Penguinmon. The penguin quickly leapt onto the back of the beetle as it rose into the air.

Behind the penguin was a thin, tone woman. Metallic wings were attached to a rocket pack on her back. Lavender hair fell over her eyes and a metal face mask covered her mouth. Pink bikini armor covered her chest and waist and a pair of winged. In her left hand, she carried a large metal pinwheel.

Two digimon then erupted from the ground. One was the black, lion warrior, Reichmon. His golden wings held his heavily armored humanoid body in the air. He swung his spear slicing through the air upon his escape. Next to Reichmon was the white, wolf warrior, Beowulfmon, brandishing his claymore. Jets on his back flared and Beowulfmon hovered in the air.

Gennai stood back as Aldamon hovered in front of him. The large gauntlets on his arms swiveled around and opened revealing the large guns within. Gennai lifted a clenched fist up to his mouth and coughed into it.

"I know; you don't trust me." Gennai said, looking up at Aldamon. "You have no reason to trust me. However, I am hoping that you will be willing to assist me."

The human face behind Aldamon's mask frowned, and growled, revealing a pair of fangs. The digimon then looked to the other hybrid digimon that were hovering around him and flashed his eyes back to Gennai.

"There is something very ugly coming this way…I know you can sense it." Gennai said, looking up at Aldamon. "It's trying to free Kurayami. You need to stop him; you need to protect the Dark Digimental." Gennai frowned as he saw the cold expression on Aldamon's face. "I know. It is far too much for me to ask you to fight for us, knowing what we did to you. I wish we'd never done those experiments." Gennai closed his eyes and turned his head away from Aldamon. "I wish I knew you were still in there, somewhere, Zaphikel."

Aldamon lifted his gauntlets slowly, the gauntlets burning as they rose.

Gennai looked up, warm tears burning down his cheek, chilling his skin as they cooled in the wind. "It should've been me, Zaphikel! I should've been locked down there! I should've been physically turned into a monster…it would've matched how I turned out inside. I'm sorry, Zaphikel…I'm so sorry…"

Aldamon's arm quivered in the air. The flames fizzled and the gauntlet clamped shut. Aldamon turned to the five digimon behind him.

"It's Arkadimon, Zaphikel." Gennai said, tempting a step forward. Gennai lifted his arm and pointed to the western skies. "See, even now his power is flooding throughout the world poisoning everything."

"Ar-ka-di-mon…" Aldamon growled, his wings flared bright orange and the draconic man took flight towards the west.

The other hybrids looked at Gennai, snarled impatiently and then followed Aldamon. Gennai took a deep breath. He turned and walked towards the door that led out onto the battlements. He reached out to a small box attached to the wall adjacent to the door and pressed a button.

"Prepare for the handing over of the Dark Digimental." Gennai said, softly into the speaker. "Also, mark down the following names for commendation for acts above and beyond the call of duty: Zaphikel Hadron, Raziel Lepton, Jibril Muon, Sariel Gluon, and Uriel Boson." Gennai lifted his finger from the button and turned again looking in the direction the five hybrids had gone. "Although such a commendation is far less than what they deserve."

* * *

"What are we doing?" Kisho asked as he looked over to where Marine Angemon was hovering. Kisho ran up next to the diminutive pixie. "Shouldn't we be leaving?" 

"It won't be any use if your digimon are as badly drained as they are." Marine Angemon replied looking down at Renamon, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Marine Angemon frowned and looked over at the other partnered digimon. He took a deep breath. "I guess there's no helping it." The pink heart on Marine Angemon's chest glowed and a red beam fell upon Renamon. "Ocean Love!"

The burns on Renamon's fur faded. The patches of red that showed where blood had seeped out of the vulpine creature's skin receded, shrinking and disappearing. The fox winced and opened its eyes.

"Ren…" Renamon said lifting her arms and grasping with her three-fingered paws.

"I'm here." Ren said moving from behind Kisho and Marine Angemon forward and sinking into the fox's arms. "Are you ok?"

"She will be." Marine Angemon said, hovering to the next patient, Guilmon.

Haru was standing next to the small fae as it administered its remedy. The raspberry colored light swept over the red and black dragon. The creature groaned before rising.

Marine Angemon then swept over to DemiDevimon and to Agumon. Taku and Jiro were kneeling next to the two digimon as Marine Angemon's beam swept over them. Marine Angemon then hovered to DORUmon. Kisho walked over as Marine Angemon healed the lavender-furred digimon.

"You can heal them?" Kisho asked, looking at the wounds on DORUmon fade and disappear.

"Partially." Marine Angemon said, flicking his blue eyes in Kisho's direction. "Metatromon's cube drained my abilities. I can heal your partners, but it will take time for them to regain their strength."

"But we don't have time!" Kisho said, looking up at Marine Angemon.

"I cannot change the facts, Kisho." Marine Angemon said as he pulled away from the healed DORUmon. Marine Angemon turned and glided away. "Soon, I will create a travel bubble. I will take you to the headquarters personally."

"None of that will matter if there's no one there, if it doesn't exist anymore!" Kisho said, turning around. "And if what you say is true, if our partners are drained of energy, what difference will it make?"

"We won't know unless we try." Marine Angemon said, as he glided over to a tree and laid against the trunk.

* * *

The poison was spreading. The shadows and clouds of darkness swirled around Arkadimon's body. He could feel the Dark Digimental pulsing in his head, like the sound of a radar contact, pinging in his head, beckoning him towards it. Soon he would attain his grandest form, he would unleash the powers of the ancient shadows and he would be in the presence of God. 

Arkadimon was snapped out of his musings as streams of fireballs ripped through the shadows. Whipping, cutting strands of wind twisted into a curling blade that sliced forward towards him. Arkadimon instinctively swiveled and curled through the air avoiding the elemental attacks. The shadows in front of him thinned and parted, dispersing as his forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Bolts of lightning snapped and crackled from above Arkadimon. Arkadimon lifted his arms deflecting the electrical explosion with the gray exoskeleton that armored his arms. Next a stream of cutting snowflakes poured forward sweeping down in a river of crystallized, fluffy water. The flakes cut into his armor, leaving chinks and tiny scrapes that filled in with a gray fluid that quickly hardened into new exoskeleton.

Arkadimon glared in all directions trying to find his assailants. Shadows and miasma still filled the sky in slight ribbons barely thick enough to obscure hiding figures. Arkadimon eyes flitted to the left as a shadow sliced behind a veil of cloud. He turned to attack when a beam of light exploded out of the sky, piercing his right wing, burning a hole through the fleshy membrane.

Arkadimon howled as the light seared through the skin. The flesh released a hissing, purple smoke that smelled of rotten flesh and putrefying fruit. A black viscous fluid seeped from the wound covering the hole. He looked to see that the wound was properly healed when the shadows erupted with a black that was darker than black.

Arkadimon sliced his arm upward. The tentacles of his hand tightly bound together into a black lance. He looked up into a pair of crimson eyes glaring down at him. A staff was smashed against his arm. The staff emitted a pure black energy that crackled against the black-green sparks flying from Arkadimon's armor.

"You! Who let you out?" Arkadimon shouted at the lion-masked human.

The creature's golden wings flexed and Arkadimon felt a knee jam into his abdomen. The black armored creature pushed on the staff thrusting Arkadimon towards the ground. The digimon twirled the staff in his hand and then pointed the head of it at Arkadimon. A black viper twisted around the staff and then opened its mouth before striking forward, fangs bared.

Arkadimon crossed his arms over his chest. The viper's fangs struck, piercing through the armor. The rest of the snake's body curled around Arkadimon's crossed arms, tying them together. Arkadimon could feel the snake's bite pouring foreign energy into his body, burning through his flesh. His body was only just barely capable of repairing that which was torn apart.

"So…this is how you work?" Arkadimon growled, as he struggled against the viper's hold. "No wonder Metatromon feared you…immense power…almost enough to make you worthy to be absorbed into me!"

Arkadimon roared, straining his muscles and ripped the viper apart through sheer force. His wings flared opened and he swung his left arm back, thrusting it forward, unleashing the thousands of tentacles that composed his hand.

Suddenly a lithe female cyborg jetted in front of the torrent of tentacles. She raised pinwheel-topped staff. The blades of the pinwheel spun into action, releasing a tornado of lavender wind that pushed into the tentacles. The edges of wind shimmered with a silver light as the strands of moving air turned into razor blades that sliced through the tentacles. The blast of cutting wind exploded into the socket where Arkadimon's wrist was. The armor of Arkadimon's affected limb cracked from the inside and wind whistled out of the breaches.

Arkadimon howled as his entire left arm exploded from his body. Shrapnel of black tar flesh and gray armor flew under the power of the chaotic thrust of escaping wind. Black liquid gushed from Arkadimon's shoulder.

However there was no time to rest, no time to escape. A spear of cold rammed into Arkadimon's spine. Arkadimon looked down as a shard of pink ice tore out of his abdomen. Arkadimon twisted, snapping the spear that had pierced him. He looked back and found a fat penguin riding a rhino-proportioned beetle. Electricity buzzed on the horns that adorned the beetle's head. Arkadimon winced as the lightning flew forward, exploding over his body. Arkadimon's muscles contracted involuntarily as the electricity played havoc on his nervous system. Arkadimon thrashed in the air as the energy crackled and hissed through his body.

The energy subsided, leaving smoke seeping out the cracks in Arkadimon's armor. Fluids dripped from his body. Arkadimon could feel the itchy feeling of flesh regenerating at his shoulder. However, this wasn't what caught his attention, rather his attention fell to the fact that a giant shadow stretched from his body. Arkadimon turned slowly and looked up. He slowly retreated in the face of the sight he saw.

A giant, white luminous apparition of a wolf filled the sky, its gaping mouth filled with a giant orange fireball. Under the fireball was a muscular figure, half man half dragon, with giant solar-orange wings. Behind the man-dragon was a human dressed in white lupine armor holding up a golden, double-bladed glaive. The man-dragon thrust himself forward, launching the orb of flames forward, like a giant medicine ball. As the orange-winged digimon leaned forward the white armored man leapt over him, the apparition of the wolf flowing into the large sword the lupine warrior carried.

The fireball struck first. Its heat burned away loose hunks of armor from Arkadimon's flesh and blistered his exposed skin. His body burned, flames dancing over his frame as the wolf warrior swung his blade forward. The light sliced diagonally through Arkadimon's torso, left shoulder to right hip. Arkadimon fell backward, as the wolf-warrior pulled away sweeping his blade away spraying black fluid behind.

The six digimon looked down at him as he tumbled through the air. His body paralyzed, his mind flooded with pain incalculable. Their power was indeed great, but they were fools. He saw them turn their back him, preparing to leave him for dead.

Arkadimon struggled with his remaining appendage, but he finally lifted his right arm. He released the forces binding his tentacles into a spiraled spear and then with a concentrated thrust forward, launched those tentacles upward toward the warriors.

"I will…not be stopped…!" Arkadimon grunted as he watched his tentacles embed themselves into the back of the white wolf warrior. "Not…when…I'm this close!"

The warrior arched his back as the energy coursed out of his body and into Arkadimon's tentacles. The shell of white armor exploded off a small frame underneath it. The white particles of energy sweeping into Arkadimon's tentacles like dust into a vacuum cleaner nozzle. The frame that was under the armor, fell forward, a flapping robe twisting as the form fell, limply through the air.

The other warriors spun around. The orange-winged man-dragon dove for the falling figure. Arkadimon's tentacles - like the ancient beast, Scylla - hungrily struck at the man-dragon. The man-dragon's dark red armor melted away from the hungry tips of the tentacles and the black ribbons found the soft flesh encased within easily pierced.

The wings slumped as the orange feathers sloughed off like so many autumnal deciduous leaves. The orange mane of hair turned white and then fell away and then finally the armor exploded into orange beads of data that were quickly gathered by the thousands of tentacles.

Arkadimon chuckled as his wounds bubbled with growth as limbs returned and his torso reappeared. Armor quickly smoothed over cracks and burns quickly faded to painless blemished and finally to newborn skin. Pain reversed to nothing but a cold numbness. Arkadimon smirked as the remaining four warriors watched Arkadimon as he whipped out his newly reformed left arm. Arkadimon released out thousands of tentacles to slice up the remains of their falling comrades. Arkadimon then snapped his elbow back, whipping the tentacles back into place and reforming them into a spiraled lance.

The black armored warrior extended his arm. A black shadow swirled in front of his hand creating a black shield with a crimson swastika on its surface. Its wings twitched and then the warrior launched forward, spear extended forward.

Arkadimon parried the three-pronged blade of the spear with his own lance of tentacles. Arkadimon then thrust forward with his free arm, which the dark warrior blocked with his shadow shield. Arkadimon chuckled as the point of his tentacle spear became soft and the multitude of black ribbons spread out over the shield like an octopus over a crab shell.

The dark warrior's red eyes flicked down at the tentacles wriggling around his shield and pushed away from Arkadimon, only to have Arkadimon's freed tentacles latch onto his shield.

"You won't get away…" Arkadimon hummed as his tentacles swarmed around the shield and curled around the warrior's arm. Arkadimon was about to tear into the warrior's flesh when his tentacles started to burn. The tentacles exploded into data as a swastika-shaped beam of red energy exploded forward.

The dark warrior charged forward. He sliced at Arkadimon, who evaded the attack, sweeping past the dark warrior. The warrior twisted around, but Arkadimon was moving towards the other warriors.

Arkadimon appeared in front of the other three elemental warriors, who had been observing the dark warrior's attack. He sliced down with his left arm, but the female warrior parried the attack with her pinwheel-staff. Arkadimon then thrust his other arm forward, swiping the woman with the edge of the spiral lance.

The female pushed away and the beetle and penguin dove forward. Bolts of lightning flew from the beetle's horns, which Arkadimon evaded easily enough. The penguin twirled the two popsicles in his hands around, conducting giant streams of blue snow and pink ice.

Arkadimon smashed through the columns of ice with his arm. He dove out of the way of a slicing attack from the woman cyborg who struck with her giant pinwheel. Arkadimon flew upward, rising above the giant rhinoceros beetle and threw his tentacles downward, keeping them bound together. The tentacles lengthened, twisting together like a drill bit and bored into the shell of the beetle.

The massive blue bug howled, bucking upward as its shell became brittle and sloughed away. The penguin lashed out with a whip of ice, but Arkadimon simply unleashed his other set of tentacles, drilling through the penguin's soft skin. The woman warrior lifted her pinwheel, preparing to cut through Arkadimon's tentacles, but Arkadimon closed his eyes, forming a black dot of energy at his forehead which he projected at the woman. The release of energy knocked her unconscious, sending her tumbling backward as Arkadimon's tentacles consumed the humanoid figures underneath the warriors' external shell.

Arkadimon sent his tentacles onto the woman. The tentacles cradled the woman and then utterly eviscerated her, dissecting out every last piece of pertinent energy from her body.

The dark warrior charged forward, screaming in rage. His staff smashed against Arkadimon's arm. The warrior rammed his shield into Arkadimon's chest, and released a blast of red energy. The energy rebounded off of Arkadimon's armor, throwing the warrior backwards. Arkadimon pointed his spiral lance at the dark warrior and a black dot manifested at the tip of the spear.

"And so it ends…" Arkadimon said, the dot pulsed with energy. "Dot Matrix."

The launched forward, ramming into the dark warrior's chest. The warrior dropped his shield, clutching his chest and curling forward. The warrior's red eyes flared in surprise as Arkadimon pushed his spear of tentacles into the warrior's stomach. The warrior's eyes dimmed and he slumped over Arkadimon's arm, exploding into black data that flowed into Arkadimon's tentacles.

"Now for the Dark Digimental…" Arkadimon said, turning to the eastern horizon.

* * *

"Doesn't this thing go faster?" Haru asked, as he watched the ground below lazy float by. "We have to get to the Order's palace before Arkadimon?" 

"Don't complain…" Marine Angemon grunted as he leaned his forehead against the soapy film of the bubble. "You're lucky that I'm able to move us this fast…"

"I could move faster if I digivolved to DORUgremon." DORUmon said, lifting his head.

"You must store your energy." Marine Angemon said as energy pulsed forward, propelling the bubble at a faster rate. "As it is, Arkadimon is probably more powerful than you are. Even at this distance of several tens of miles I can sense his aura."

"Then why are we doing this?" Kisho asked, looking up at Marine Angemon. "Why are we going to fight an impossible fight? What's the point?"

"He is more powerful…" Marine Angemon said, closing his eyes and focusing his energy again, pushing the bubble even faster. Marine Angemon opened his eyes. "However, you are stronger. Arkadimon, in the end, is only fighting the battle because he has inherited it."

"So, if he's so powerful that we're not capable to defeat him, it's still a futile fight!" Kisho returned, stepping forward in the bubble. "I'm not going to get ourselves killed! I'm the leader…I have responsibility to everyone. I cannot allow my friends go into that kind of battle, tell me why I should let them fight in that kind of fight, a fight where we'll die…why!?"

"Because…We're the only hope." Jiro said quietly. The little blonde boy lifted his head. "We have to because Gennai is depending on us. Because our friends on File Island are depending on us." Jiro looked to his brother, Haru. "Because Mom is waiting for us at home…and needs us."

Kisho looked over to the little boy, and then looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "I forgot about that."

"And this is why you are stronger." Marine Angemon said, looking back to Kisho. "You fight the fight, not for the battle itself, but because you have more to fight for, friends, family…all those things."

"It doesn't change the fact that we're greatly outclassed." Renamon said, rising to her feet.

"I see…" Marine Angemon said, taking a deep breath. "There is something that Gennai hasn't told you."

"Tell us something new." Taku said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The digimon chosen to be your partners were not chosen randomly." Marine Angemon said, he looked over the group of digimon resting in the bubble. "Their powers are synergistic…"

Ren furrowed her brow. "Syner…?"

"It means they work better together…" Haru said, looking at Ren with his blue eyes.

"I know that!" Ren said, glaring over at Haru. "I just was trying to understand in what ways they were synergistic."

"It's like when we had to fight Belphemon." Jiro said, looking to Taku and Ren. "Remember, when Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon attacked together it was a lot more powerful than when they attacked separately."

"The more in tune your hearts get, the more effective your powers will become." Marine Angemon said, looking at the children. "This ability will make it capable to defeat Arkadimon…"

"Look…" DemiDevimon flew up and pointed forward.

"The mountains where the Order's headquarters are…" Kisho said, as he stood up and looked at the black fog that covered the mountains.

"That aura…" Marine Angemon hissed, shivering slightly.

"It's Arkadimon…" Taku said, clenching his fists.

* * *

Gennai stood in front of the Dark Digimental. It sat on the ground in the courtyard. He felt the back of his neck tingle, and looked up. The sky was darkening and black mist was curling over the battlement walls. Gennai leapt backward as a massive form dropped out of the sky. 

The heavy muscular form rose up. Its lavender flesh covered by a gray exoskeleton. Large, purple wings opened and the creature looked down on Gennai.

"Faithful to the point of idiocy." Gennai said looking up at Arkadimon. "You are as much a slave to Kurayami as the Elemental Guardians were to you. Yet, I doubt you have the ability to break your programming."

"Your words are meaningless to me." Arkadimon said as he walked forward. He glared down at the digimental on the ground and then to Gennai. "What trickery is this?"

"Trickery?" Gennai asked, looking up at Arkadimon. "It isn't any kind of trickery, it's the Dark Digimental. That is what you came for, isn't it?"

"You are just handing it over?" Arkadimon growled, taking a step backward. "I am not a fool. You sent those hybrid monstrosities after me…only to give up the digimental without a fight…it makes no sense."

"Drastic times, call for drastic measures." Gennai replied, clasping his hands together so that the sleeves of his robes joined together. "Plus I have a responsibility to the others."

"That statement is the reason why you're pathetic pantheon of gods never will stop Kurayami-sama!" Arkadimon said stepping forward. "You care, you love. Your emotions will destroy you."

"And your blindness will destroy you." Gennai said, taking a deep breath. "Kurayami will not let you live. He's gone mad after all these eons of entrapment. He doesn't care about you or Daemon. He's only interested in revenge."

"I shall be an instrument of his revenge." Arkadimon said, taking another step forward. "He shall use me to sweep away the Order and its pathetic collection of Digi-destined! He will make me all pow…"

"…erful? For what reason?" Gennai asked, looking up into Arkadimon's insect-like eyes. He walked forward and extracted his hands from his sleeves, clenching them against his sides. "What's the reason? Why strive for that power? For what reason? Revenge? Enlightenment? Unlimited granola bars? Why do you want this unlimited power?!"

"Power is its own reason." Arkadimon said.

"Ah, I thought as much." Gennai said, the muscle tension that he had built up vanished. He looked down and shook his head. "I really do pity your existence. You've missed so much."

"Power is all that is important!" Arkadimon replied, loosing the tentacles of his hand and letting them wriggle like the serpents of a gorgon's head.

"Have you ever enjoyed a magnificently prepared meal cooked by a person you loved or watched the glistening rays of the sun fall tranquilly past the horizon to expose the beauty of the night sky?" Gennai asked as he took a step forward, spreading his arms out. He pulled his hands in close as if cradling something in his arms. "Ever caress an innocent baby in your arms," He lifted his hands to his nose and sniffed, "or even sniffed the last blossom of a lilac bush in the warm summer sun?"

"Those things are irrelevant!" Arkadimon said, glaring down at Gennai.

"For some people, it is these things which make life worth living." Gennai said, sighing and looking away. "You could have had so much potential. I'm sorry for what happened to you all those eons ago. I'm sorry that Daemon created you in the way he did, and I had wished that maybe…just maybe you would reconsider. I'm very sorry…"

"Your sentiment is meaningless. Your emotions are nothing, they will be crushed." Arkadimon said leaning forward.

"Are you so sure?" Gennai asked, as his eyes lifted skyward. "I still have hope. I think that counts as an emotion."

"Terra Force!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

Flames and ice erupted over Arkadimon's back. The arthropod roared as his wings sizzled with burning ice. Arkadimon staggered forward and then crashed face first to the ground as metal wolf smashed its front paws down on Arkadimon's back. The wolf leapt into the air as the dragon man smashed down onto Arkadimon's spine, before launching off in the wolf's shadow.

Arkadimon growled, rising up on his hands and feet. Gennai leapt backward, as a green laser streamed into Arkadimon's back, driving the beast back to the ground. The beam held strong as a golden, snaking dragon of energy howled into the back of Arkadimon. The brickwork of the courtyard compressed, cracked and broke under the pressure.

Gennai looked up and saw the two digimon holding Arkadimon down, the huge golden dragon king, OuRyuumon with the black knight of need Alphamon standing atop of the dragon-king. Gennai saw WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon drawing together another attack.

"Fools…you think…this will hold me…?" Arkadimon struggled upward, the attacks pressing against his body as he rose. Arkadimon's eyes fell on Gennai. "I'm far beyond their power. You should know that! Now you shall watch as I tear them apart before your eyes. I'll show you how pathetic your hope is!" Arkadimon's hand lifted and tentacles flew forward enclosing around the Dark Digimental. "Nothing will stop me…nothing can stop me."

"NO!" Metal Garurumon howled, the jets on the metal wolf's shoulder mounted wings flared.

WarGreymon dove for Arkadimon's tentacles, brandishing the blades that sliced out from her gauntlets. "Dramon Destr…"

"Dot Matrix!" A spritz of black dots exploded into WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon tossing them backward as black energy crackled through the air. "The Dark Digimental is mine!" The tentacles around the Dark Digimental retreated, pulling the digimental towards Arkadimon. "Thus ends the weak-willed empire of the Founders, and so begins the revenge of the Dark God, Kurayami!" Arkadimon turned, the attacks of Alphamon and OuRyuumon burning against his body, as he turned. "Dot Matrix!"

Thousands of black dots covered the two digimon. They released their energy and OuRyuumon reared backward, bucking Alphamon off of him both crashing behind the castle walls.

Arkadimon held the Dark Digimental aloft in the air. The tentacles curled tightly around the digimental until the black crystal ball exploded into black data and flowed into Arkadimon.

Gennai fell backward as the energy enveloped Arkadimon. He gulped as he watched the shadows swirl higher into the sky. "It is the ending of all beauty and wonder…"

* * *

The beast rose into the air. The energy and darkness filled the sky. The shadows faded revealing a sky filled with writhing tentacles. A massive body topped the cloud tentacles. A chitin skirt covered the mass of tentacles. An armored torso was covered with the same hard, gray exoskeleton. Black wings shifted stiffly. A pair of bulky arms with a mass of wormy tentacles reached into the sky. 

"What…what is that thing?" Ren gulped as she looked at it through the rose-tinted film of Marine Angemon's bubble.

"Arkadimon…" Marine Angemon said, shivering as the beast released a buzzing howl into the air. "He's attained a banned level, a power in which no other being was to be allowed access to."

"Which is?" Haru asked, staring at the monster hovering over the palace, like some giant mountain in the sky.

"Super-Ultimate…" Marine Angemon said as he watched the beast glide past the palace.

"We can still win can't we?" Jiro asked, looking at Marine Angemon.

"You must synchronize your powers." Marine Angemon said as he looked at Arkadimon. The bubble started to move towards the beast. "You're hearts must be as one."

OuRyuumon flew forward, in front of Marine Angemon's bubble. Alphamon was riding on the dragon's head. WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon jetted next to the dragon, flanking the golden king on either side.

"Your desires must be one, your wishes one. Your hopes and dreams must converge together. The strength must come together to be more than the assembled parts." Marine Angemon chanted as he stared forward.

The children closed their eyes, focusing on the words Marine Angemon was saying. It was a slow hypnotic chant. Repeating the same verses over and over, lulling the mind, breaking the inhibitions.

Arkadimon slowly turned his rotund mass. Darkness and shadows twisted around him and he spread his arms out and roared loudly.

"I can hear it…" Jiro whispered, opening his eyes. "Heart beats…"

"Now…Attack!" Marine Angemon said.

"Eiseiryuuoujin!"

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Terra Force!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

The four attacks converged into a single point and then exploded forward as a stream of blazing white light. Arkadimon reared back and then sliced forward with his tentacles, swatting the four Mega digimon, like gnats.

"You call that power?" Arkadimon's voice shuddered through the air like thunder. "That is nothing! I shall show you true power!" Arkadimon turned his small, insectoid head and looked to a line of distant mountains. "God Matrix!"

Arkadimon's large, compact eyes glowed and then fired a pair of crimson beams at the mountain chain. The mountains glowed bright red. Lines crisscrossed the mountains, as if they were crumpled pieces of graph paper and then the mountains fell apart as if they were simply made of sand.

"It was off…" Marine Angemon said, looking back at the children. "Almost there. Not quite."

"You shall now be destroyed." Arkadimon said lifting his arms up. The mass of tentacles writhed and twisted like a pit of snakes. "Dystopia Lance!"

A single tether sliced through Marine Angemon's bubble. The children fell, tumbling through the air. Arkadimon's eyes glowed once more. A stream of energy lanced down at the earth and then, the ground disappeared, revealing nothing below, and the children continued to fall into the abyss.

* * *

**AN: I really, quite enjoyed this chapter. So I don't have a lot to say about it. I may focus on this story for a bit though (seeing as it is charging to a finale). So…we'll see. **


	47. Ragnorak

**I don't own digimon**

**Ragnorak**

* * *

"Master Gennai! Master Gennai!" Luminel's voice shouted as the woman rushed across the courtyard.

"Master Gennai!" Rathiel's voice shouted, the blonde haired man running a few steps behind him.

Gennai lifted his head and looked up at the red haired woman. He was kneeling on the ground, his hands pressed against the cold masonry. His head slunk as the woman ran to his side.

"Are you ok, Master Gennai?" Luminel asked sliding her arm under Gennai's.

"Dispatch a Guidemon…" Gennai whispered, staggering to his feet. "We must track Arkadimon's position."

"Why hasn't he destroyed us, yet?" Rathiel asked, looking up at the darkened sky.

"Way to show gratitude…" Luminel grumbled flicking a glare at Rathiel.

"There will be plenty of time for that later." Gennai said, sticking his hands into his pockets. Gennai started to walk back towards the fortress. "He's gone to fulfill his programming."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rathiel shouted running after Gennai. "What about the Digi-destined?"

"They'll be powerful…" Gennai said, as Luminel matched his pace. Gennai looked to Luminel. "Go, dispatch the Guidemon." He turned around, walking backward and looked to Rathiel. "I want you to check the egg room."

Gennai then turned and walked into the fortress, entrance as Luminel and Rathiel split going in opposite directions.

* * *

Jiro gulped as he looked down. An inky black bubbled darkness below. Sweat dripped down from his forehead into the darkness. Jiro looked up and saw that Taku had a hold of him by his t-shirt with one hand and his free arm was wrapped around one of Metal Garurumon's airfoil.

"Do you have any idea how heavy you are…?" Taku grunted straining against the gravity pulling Jiro downward.

"Thirty-two kilograms…" Jiro said, smiling up at Taku.

"Very funny…" Taku grunted, lifting Jiro up and pulling him onto Metal Garurumon's back.

"Thank goodness you're alive." Jiro said, hugging Metal Garurumon.

"The others are safe, too." Metal Garurumon said, flicking his head to the right.

WarGreymon was holding onto Ren, OuRyuumon held Haru in one hand and clutched Alphamon in the other. Alphamon held Kisho against his chest. The other digimon glided toward Metal Garurumon.

"Where's Marine Angemon?" Kisho asked, looking around frantically.

"I'm fine…" Marine Angemon's voice said, a pink glow rising out of the darkness below.

"I thought you said we could beat him if we synchronize our power!" Taku shouted at the little pixie as it rose through the air.

"You can," Marine Angemon replied rising to Taku's height and looking the boy in the eyes, "but it has to be done properly."

"We don't have time to be learning anything." Ren said, looking upward. "Arkadimon is probably already on his way to free Kurayami."

"Then we'll have to cobble together something on the fly." Haru said looking up. "Let's go."

OuRyuumon rose upwards toward the giant hole in the earth. WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon flew after him.

"Wait!" Marine Angemon shouted as he flew after them.

"We don't have time!" Kisho shouted, looking back.

Marine Angemon grabbed onto OuRyuumon's tail. The golden dragon swept around and flew after a giant bulge of black that covered the eastern horizon like the negative of the morning sun. Marine Angemon scrambled, crawling up the dragon's body, until he reached the place where Kisho, Haru and Alphamon were standing.

"You can't defeat him…not like this!" Marine Angemon huffed, looking up at the two humans. "He'll destroy you."

"I think I have a plan." Haru said, looking over at Kisho with his blue eyes. Haru lifted his arm and waved at WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon, beckoning the tow digimon to him.

The wolf and the dragon landed, letting their human partners down, onto the dragon's back. Haru looked to them and then to Marine Angemon.

"What's your plan?" Kisho asked, looking to Haru.

"We need to attack Arkadimon from multiple angles." Haru said, kneeling down, the other children encircled around him. "WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon have much better maneuverability than OuRyuumon and Alphamon. OuRyuumon and Alphamon have much stronger defense and offensive capabilities. That means OuRyuumon and Alphamon have the best chance of holding off Arkadimon, WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon have a better chance of hitting a vulnerable place."

"So, WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon…" Ren looked at Haru.

"Will attack Arkadimon up close darting around his body looking for a weak spot." Haru said looking to Ren, Taku and Jiro. "Alphamon and OuRyuumon will try and hold Arkadimon's attention by using their bigger attacks."

"It won't work, Arkadimon's too strong for that kind of simple plan!" Marine Angemon said, shaking his head.

"If Haru thinks it will work, then it will work." Kisho said, flicking a glare at Marine Angemon. "I believe in him."

"It won't work! We need to wait and synchronize…"

"There isn't time, we're here." Taku said, growling under his breath.

"Impossible, we couldn't have gotten to Mount Gleipnir already…" Marine Angemon said looking up.

It wasn't Mount Gleipnir. However, Arkadimon had stopped. The massive monster was firing downward erasing huge swathes of land underneath him. He could see the city below, or the shattered remains of the city. Portions of the buildings cleanly erased leaving giant circular holes. A torrent of small flying digimon was rushing away, in an attempt to escape. Arkadimon gurgled and a beam of light sliced through the digimon horde, deleting them in one large flash.

"WarGreymon, let's go." Ren said looking up at the dragon-woman.

"No, not this time." WarGreymon said, stepping back. "It's too dangerous."

Metal Garurumon glided away from OuRyuumon, looking down at Taku and Jiro. The wolf looked to WarGreymon, nodded and then flew off with her.

"Let's shoot one across his bow." Haru said, pointing up at Arkadimon.

"The back of his head, to get his attention." Kisho said, nodding.

OuRyuumon sliced his swords out. Golden energy, in the form of a serpentine dragon, wrapped around the two machetes. Alphamon lifted his hand and a green aura covered his palms.

"Eiseiryuuoujin!" The machetes sliced forward releasing the two dragons that roared forward, opening their gaping maws.

"Digitalize of Soul!" The aura in Alphamon's palm condensed into a single point and fired forward as a beam of green energy.

The two attacks exploded into Arkadimon's massive back, between the mountainous beast's shoulder blades. Arkadimon twisted his massive body around, swinging his writhing tentacle arms around and glaring down at them.

The eyes on Arkadimon's tiny head glared to life as a pair of red beams sliced downward. OuRyuumon quickly rose a golden shield of energy, retreating as the red beams cut through the shield. Arkadimon lifted an arm and pointed his squirming tentacles at OuRyuumon. Blue and red flares exploded across the joints in Arkadimon's arm armor. Arkadimon snarled pulling his arm back and thrusting his other arm at two beads of red and blue light. Black tentacles tore forward, chasing after the lights.

"The tentacles, now!" Haru shouted.

"Alphamon, take his head!" Kisho shouted.

OuRyuumon and Alphamon attacked. OuRyuumon's energy dragons sliced through Arkadimon's tentacles. Alphamon's energy beam burning against Arkadimon's head.

The massive Super-Ultimate digimon roared and tilted forward, barreling towards OuRyuumon. Arkadimon's eyes flared to life.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon appeared above Arkadimon, tossing a giant orb of energy into the base of the giant digimon's neck.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" Metal Garurumon jetted to the left side of Arkadimon's head firing his full payload of lasers, missiles and assorted explosives into the temple of the insectoid digimon's head.

Arkadimon's head lurched down and to the right and the beam of deleting energy fired from Arkadimon's eyes exploding into a clear patch of earth. Arkadimon swung his arms out to swat at WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon but Alphamon and OuRyuumon struck at the beast's chest driving him backward, nearly toppling him over.

"I see it!" WarGreymon shouted, pointing down. "A weak spot in his armor! There at his midriff!"

"Go for it!" Ren shouted.

"Grand Tornado!" WarGreymon spun into the air drawing orange energy around her drilling body.

"Metal Garurumon, follow in WarGreymon's wake!" Taku and Jiro shouted, watching as the wolf charging after the orange tornado.

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

WarGreymon burned across Arkadimon's waist. Metal Garurumon's missiles and lasers swirled around WarGreymon like a frozen helix around a burning tornado.

"Now, OuRyuumon!" Haru shouted, slicing his hand out.

"Let's finish this!" Kisho growled, clenching a fist.

"Eiseiryuuoujin!"

"Digitalize of Soul!"

OuRyuumon's golden dragons coiled around Alphamon's laser of green energy. The combined attack erupted into the cracks WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon had created in Arkadimon's armor. The chitin armor crackled as large gaps opened.

"Did we do it?" Ren asked, jumping forward, watching the armor crack and fall from the monster.

WarGreymon and Metal Garurumon were rocketing back towards OuRyuumon

"Impossible…" Marine Angemon said, glaring up at the huge, hovering beast, lying on its back in air; its arms held out as if dead. "For such a feat…"

"Dystopia Lances!" Giant black cables snapped forward grabbing the wolf and the dragon-woman.

"WarGreymon!" Ren shouted as she watched the red and green armored digimon snagged by the cables and yanked backward.

"Metal Garurumon!" Jiro and Taku screamed as the wolf was whipped backward.

Suddenly OuRyuumon screeched as a pair of tentacles snaked around him, yanking at him. The dragon lurched forward, tossing Alphamon and the children from his armored back. A set of tentacles snagged Alphamon out of the air.

"Kahuna Wave!" Marine Angemon spun around enveloping the children in a pink bubble.

A shadow fell over Marine Angemon and the pixie turned to see Arkadimon rising above him, holding the four digimon in his tentacle grasp. The monster chuckled as he flailed the digimon around like toys in his tentacles.

"I'll admit you are an annoyance." Arkadimon said, looking down at his cracked armor. Black ooze drizzled out of the cracks sealing them. "In fact you are more of an annoyance than I imagined. However, this ends. I shall consume you."

"Let them go!" Kisho shouted, pounding his fist against the bubble.

"Heh, you have no way of resisting." Arkadimon chuckled.

"One can always resist!" Taku shouted, standing up behind Kisho. "We won't back down! We know we can beat you, and we have to be true to ourselves!"

"Hope, we have hope, and as long as we have hope we'll fight you." Ren said, glaring up at Arkadimon. "We have the power to fight you, we have purity and justice and the force of blazing light on our side…we have each other and if we fight together we can win!"

"All those people at home, our families, our friends they have hope in us." Jiro looked up at Arkadimon. "Those digimon, they put their faith in us, and if we truly love them, we can't give up."

"Why are you doing this?" Kisho asked, looking up at the digimon. "Oh…to save your god. So you're going to blindly follow that command, even though you know the damage he'll release if he gets free. Coward! To blindly follow a command even though you know it will cause others pain not only is cowardly, it's an act of extreme stupidity. As a person who lives we have a responsibility to think about our actions…to close our eyes to that is wrong."

"Our friends have put their hopes in us, our courage must act on that responsibility." Haru said, looking up at Arkadimon, standing next to Kisho. "We must fight you."

"You can't win…I am beyond your pathetic powers!" Arkadimon shouted, thrusting the four Mega digimon he held forward as if they were proof. "I could destroy this entire world if I wished!"

"Yes, you can destroy the odd village, terrorize the mobs of refugees…" Haru said, narrowing his blue eyes, "but that doesn't change the fundamental fact that you are nothing but an empty, hollow being a puppet that has no true strength of its own! You have nothing to fight for, and because of that you will never be able to defeat us."

"I'll show…show…show…" Arkadimon blinked looking at the tentacles holding the Mega digimon. Arkadimon hissed as the tentacle snapped, pearls of light burning through the dark cables of flesh.

"This power…" Marine Angemon whispered, looking at the children.

Haru and Kisho were holding hands, as were Ren, Taku and Jiro. They were facing Arkadimon as one unified front. Arkadimon roared, and fired a beam of energy at the bubble.

A red ball of light and muddy yellow ball of light rushed down merging with a blast of light, deflecting the beam.

"WarGreymon…"

"Metal Garurumon…"

"DNA digivolve to…." A huge sword sliced out from the light, beating back Arkadimon's attack. A gold caped knight with white armor stood in front of Marine Angemon's bubble. "Omnimon."

The knight's sword came out of a hand that looked like WarGreymon's head. The other arm looked like Garurumon's head and had a mouthful of cannon. The knight had a wasp-like body with a thin waist and wide chest and shoulders.

The orange and blue balls of light charged towards Arkadimon. The balls merged and Arkadimon thrust one of his arms forward, releasing an explosion of tentacles at the merged sphere of light. The ball of light seared through Arkadimon's arm, exploding through the monster's shoulder armor.

"Alphamon…."

"OuRyuumon…"

"Blast evolve to…" The ball of light exploded releasing Alphamon. However, Alphamon now had a huge pair of iridescent wings, and carried a giant staff-like halberd. "Alphamon Ultimate War Blade King Mode!"

Arkadimon snarled as he looked from one digimon to the other. "You think evens the tables?"

"You tell us." Alphamon said, with OuRyuumon's voice. "How's the shoulder feeling?"

"God…"

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon lifted his hand and a ball of green energy formed above him, equal to the size of WarGreymon's Terra Force. The ball exploded into Arkadimon, smashing the giant virus digimon into the earth.

"Dystopia Lances!" Thousand of black tentacles sliced upward out of the dust.

"Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon dove in front of the tentacles, sweeping his sword through the tentacles like a Gensu knife through wet spaghetti. Omnimon then thrust his other arm forward. "Supreme Cannon!"

The cannon in the mouth of Metal Garurumon's head belched a blue energy blast downward, freezing and shattering the remaining tentacles. Alphamon flew next to Omnimon and the two knights glared down at Arkadimon laying on the ground.

"It's over." Alphamon said, glaring down at the fallen monster. "Surrender."

"My god won't allow it." Arkadimon growled, turning his head to Marine Angemon's bubble. "God Matrix!"

A pair of crimson lasers flew towards the children. Omnimon and Alphamon instantly dove for the children. Alphamon thrust a Digitalize of Soul at the beams as Omnimon unleashed a stream of ice from his Garuru Cannon at the beams. As the two destined digimon held back Arkadimon's attack, Arkadimon rose and flew towards the east, his massive bulk quickly gaining speed and momentum as it rumbled towards the east.

"He's getting away!" Ren shouted.

"Not for long!" Alphamon said as he smacked Arkadimon's attack with the broadside of his halberd, smashing the attack back towards the ground.

Omnimon and Alphamon then turned and flew after Arkadimon.

"Well, hurry!" Taku shouted to Marine Angemon as Omnimon and Alphamon disappeared.

"Jeesh, give me a second!" Marine Angemon growled, as the bubble lurched forward.

* * *

"Guidemon link established, receiving telemetry." Rathiel stated, as he typed at a consul.

The screen in the command room flickered to life revealing a volcanic island. The western horizon was blackened. Gennai leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

"And there is Arkadimon." Gennai said as a mountainous insectoid form emerged from the blackened clouds on the horizon.

"We're picking up two other energy signatures." Rathiel stated, turning his head and looking back at Gennai. "They seem to match those of the digi-destined."

"Two signatures?" Gennai said, clasping his hands together and resting his head on the back of his hands. "Are all the crest outputs present and accounted for?"

"Yes, they seem to be coming from the two signatures." Rathiel replied, turning back around to the computer screen.

"I see." Gennai said, watching the screen.

Two beads of light were chasing Arkadimon. Arkadimon wasn't stopping to attack, but was speeding forward towards the volcanic island. Gennai gritted his teeth as he watched.

Suddenly the two beads of light attacked. Streaks of blue and green energy exploded against Arkadimon. The chitin armored digimon buffeted and listed against the attack but didn't turn about to return fire. Another strike against Arkadimon, this time it was much more violent. Large chunks of the Super-Ultimate's exoskeleton flew free from its body falling into the ocean below. Arkadimon turned its head and fired beams of red light at the attacking digimon, but Arkadimon's counterstrike was lazy and haphazard at best and the two beads of light easily twisted out of the way of the attack.

Finally Arkadimon was hovering over the mountain. The two beads of light came to a halt, hovering in front of Arkadimon. Gennai took a deep breath as he stared at the two digimon.

"Is that Omnimon…" Rathiel asked, looking up at the large screen.

"And Alphamon's fully evolved form." Gennai said, lifting his head and pressing his fingers against each other. "The children really did it." Arkadimon swept one of his tentacled hands at the two digimon and Gennai turned to Rathiel. "Can you up the volume, I want to hear it."

"Raising volume…" Rathiel said.

"Ah there's Marine Angemon…" Gennai said as he noticed a pink bubble wandering forward.

"…Too late, Digi-destined!" Arkadimon shouted, pointing his tentacles at the two knights before him. "With one blast I shall free my god!"

"He'll kill you, then us and then everything else!" Omnimon said, lifting his cannon.

"We'll see…" Arkadimon said, backing away from the caldera of the volcano slightly. "My faith in him will be enough!"

"We can't let you free Kurayami!" Alphamon said, slicing his halberd forward. "Even if it takes our last living breath we will keep Kurayami captive!"

"Then die." Arkadimon said, narrowing his eyes. "God Matrix!"

The two knights dove away from the attack. Arkadimon made a move towards the mountain.

"Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon sliced forward with his holy blade.

Arkadimon howled, retreating from the blade. He released a barrage of tentacles, swamping Omnimon in a tidal wave of black cords.

"Ultimate War King Blade!" Alphamon charged forward spinning his halberd above his head. A golden dragon roared upward from the vortex created by the sword. Alphamon gripped the halberd and then brought the blade down and the dragon roared forward driving its head into Arkadimon's chest.

Arkadimon exploded into the ocean as Omnimon sliced through the tentacles trying to bind him. Arkadimon snarled loudly and then fired a pair of crimson beams at the mountain. The top half of the mountain deleted cleanly away and Arkadimon launched himself into the air, pushing through Omnimon and Alphamon and rising above the mountain.

The Guidemon followed Arkadimon's movements, and the camera panned downward. Gennai took a deep breath. A cross of fire burned over a black vortex at the heart of the mountain.

"Master Gennai…that's…" Rathiel whispered, looking at his master.

"I know." Gennai said, sitting back in his chair.

"One last attack…one last strike and the world will fall into eternal night and my god will rise from the depths!" Arkadimon said, his eyes glowing with red energy.

"Digitalize of Soul!" A green blast of energy exploded into Arkadimon's chest, thrusting the monster backward.

Gennai sat up and watched as Omnimon circled around behind the flailing mountain of chitin and tentacles. Gennai jumped to his feet as the white knight pointed its cannon into Arkadimon's back and fired. He watched as Arkadimon tumbled forward, falling towards the giant firewall.

Alphamon joined Omnimon's side.

"Your gambit ends here!" Omnimon said, lifting his sword. "This nightmare ends now! Together we shall destroy you! Transcendent Sword!"

"Ultimate War King Blade!" Alphamon shouted as he matched Omnimon's movement slicing his blade down.

The two arcs of energy smashed into Arkadimon as he fell upon the flames. The energy arcs cut through Arkadimon's body and through the island, bisecting the volcano in two.

Gennai's hand fell over his mouth as he slumped back into his chair. He blinked watching the screen. The island was crumbling to bits, Arkadimon was burning to ash.

"Master Gennai, they didn't just…" Rathiel looked to Gennai.

"Yes…yes they did." Gennai said, as he watched the island become shrouded by a mist that flowed out of the cleaved volcano. Gennai started to laugh, almost maniacally and looked to Rathiel. "They just did Arkadimon's job for him."

"That mist…is it?" Rathiel stood up, looking at the screen watching as the ominous fog spread out from the island filling the surrounding ocean.

"Yes, it is." Gennai said, his laughter stopping and his face becoming carved with deep ridges of worry.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Rathiel asked, looking to Gennai.

"What do you suppose we do?" Gennai asked, looking over at Rathiel.

"Praying comes to mind." Rathiel said, looking at Gennai.

* * *

"Idiots!" Marine Angemon screamed as he looked down at the black clouds rising from the volcano. "IDIOTS!"

"What!?" Kisho shouted, grabbing Marine Angemon.

"You really don't know what you've done do you!?" Marine Angemon said, looking back down at the ocean, which now seemed to be completely blanketed by black fog from one horizon to the next.

"If we did would be looking so surprised?" Haru asked. The blonde looked over at Taku. "What's wrong with you?"

Taku was on his knees, his hands over his ears, staring at the fog. "No…no…"

"That mist, down there, is not just some freak weather phenomena." Marine Angemon said, looking to Taku. "It is the essence of a deity. You idiots destroyed the firewall! The only thing holding Kurayami in his interdimensional prison! And now he is oozing forth."

"I expected something more…fire and brimstone." Ren said as she looked down at the fog. "I mean if this is the extent of his threat, a bit of bad visibility, then I think someone greatly overreacted."

"The Founders need a physical body to interact with the physical plane of existence." Marine Angemon said, looking at the children. "Preferably one that is compat…i…ble…" Marine Angemon slowly turned to Taku and then he instantly pushed the bubble towards the mainland. "That's it we're out of here!"

Omnimon and Alphamon were flying to them. Marine Angemon continued to push forth, when suddenly a pillar of fog rose up in front of him. Marine Angemon gulped, and changed course, only for another pillar of fog to block his path.

"Don't worry…" Omnimon lifted his cannon. "I'll deal with this! Supreme Cannon!"

The blue blast fired straight through the fog, disappearing into the darkness. The children gulped as they looked around. Fog had encircled them and their partners.

"It's…so…thick." Ren whispered looking around. "It's like looking into a bottomless pit. The darkness…is everywhere."

"Close your eyes!" Marine Angemon commanded, pouncing on Kisho, who was staring into the fog.

"Why!?" Kisho shouted, struggling under Marine Angemon's weight.

"He's probing your minds!" Marine Angemon shouted, his eyes clamped shut.

"If you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you…" Haru replied, closing his eyes and snatching Jiro and covering the little boy's eyes.

"Taku, close your eyes!" Ren shouted, she reached for the boy, but something pushed her backward, it took a second to realize that it had been Taku.

"The…ancient chains are shattered…I can hear him calling…I can hear the magic words…I can feel the power…" Taku said, walking towards the bubble's boundaries. "I know what the curse wants…it wants…me…"

"Taku, no!" Ren jumped for the boy as he pushed through the film of the bubble.

Omnimon dove for Taku but there was a crackle of some arcane energy that flew from Taku's hand and threw the white knight head of heels backwards. It was only by actions of Alphamon catching Omnimon did the knight not fall into the fog's shadows.

Taku walked across the fog barrier on thin air. The black mist poured itself into Taku's form, swirling around him like a cloak. A cold smile cut across the boy's pale face. Taku looked at his own hands as if they weren't his own, slowly curling his fingers and uncurling them. He looked down at his own attire, a black shirt with dark blue jeans and black tennis shoes. Taku laughed slightly as he looked down at himself.

His eyes then fell upon the other digi-destined. "Strange, I expected something a bit more…digital."

"Taku, come back to us." Jiro said, pulling away from Haru and walking to the edge of the bubble. "Please, Taku, before you fall!"

"Taku? Taku?" The boy shook his head closing his eyes. "What is this Taku you're speaking…" The boy them smiled and touched his chest. "Ah…there you are. Quite small for a prophesied savior. But then they are all quite small."

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight…" Haru stated, clenching his fists.

"Ah, the smart one, using an enthymeme too, how quaint." Taku said, looking at Haru. Taku closed his eyes and nodded smirking slightly. "Yes, he is rather annoying; isn't he?"

"Taku! If you're in there agreeing with whatever the hell's going on!" Ren shouted at Taku, standing next to Jiro.

"Oh, I can tell you truthfully, he's quite displeased with the situation." Taku said quietly, looking down. He gently touched his chest. "But he's really not in a position to argue."

"Let Taku go!" Omnimon said, pointing his Garuru cannon at Taku.

"Or what?" The boy said, turning to the knight. "You'll blow me away? Let's just entertain the possibility that you could do that…what do you think would happen?"

"I…uh…well…" The knight floundered, lowering his cannon.

"Precisely." The boy replied, smirking. He lifted his hands and then cracked his knuckles. "And on that note."

Taku snapped his fingers and black lightning bolts exploded out of the sky striking Alphamon and Omnimon. The two knights tumbled towards the darkened seas below. The boy's dark eyes flicked over to digi-destined.

"You won't get away with this!" Kisho shouted, pressing his hands against the bubble. "You let our friend go now!"

"Kisho…" Marine Angemon hummed looking at Taku and then to the brown-haired boy.

"I am Kurayami, the Founder of Darkness, god of this realm." Taku said, staring down at Kisho. "And you, measly mortal, barely born flesh, wish to threaten me…" Taku smirked, reached to his side and from thin air drew a black sword. "I say unto you, 'Pop!'".

The sword pulled back and then started to slice forward, but before piercing the film of Marine Angemon's bubble, stopped. Taku looked up, to the west and he frowned, clenching his free hand into a fist.

"What's wrong? Realize how badly you'll get beat?" Kisho jeered, glaring at Taku's body.

"I doubt it…" Haru whispered.

"Can't you feel it?" Jiro asked, as he turned, looking to the west.

"It's like when you feel the thunderstorm come before it actually arrives." Ren whispered, looking up. "This static in the air…this…"

"Power…" Haru said, slowly turning his head.

"What is it?" Kisho asked, rubbing his arms.

"We play the game again, Founders." Taku whispered, glaring to the western horizon.

* * *

"Master Gennai!" Luminel's voice shouted over the intercom. "We have a massive power spike in the egg room. The circuits have blown but the power's still pushing into the eggs! There's no stopping it!"

Gennai tapped the tips of his pointer fingers against his chin, listening to the frantic reports from his subordinate. He could hear the klaxons blaring in the background and the loud sizzle of energy burning pure through the air.

"Gennai, what's going on?" Rathiel asked, the blonde man was standing next to Gennai. "According to every diagnostic, every circuit has been burned, the turbines are fried, where is the power coming from?"

"Where does any power come from originally?" Gennai asked, mostly to himself. He took a deep breath.

"Gennai what are we going to do? Kurayami is free! We can't contact the digi-destined! What if they are dead!?" Rathiel yelped, looking at Gennai. "Master Gennai, please say something!"

Gennai looked up and then his eyes fell on Rathiel. "I warn of a day that the entire world shall fall asunder, and all of heaven, too. Black fog shall turn day into night, and fingers of death shall reach out from the depths to take back the treasures we carry. The ancient enemies shall seek each other out…" Gennai swallowed and looked away from Rathiel. "And by the end of the day not one living thing shall be left to survive. The chains that bind the great wolf shall shatter, the great ash tree shall fall and the world shall be consumed."

"What are you talking about, Master Gennai?" Rathiel said, looking at Gennai as if the man was mad.

"Rathiel, welcome to the end of the world." Gennai replied, as a giant explosion erupted over the intercom.

"Oh my god…they…they've hatched!" Luminel's voice shouted over the crackling static.

* * *

**AN: Another shortish chapter…but I love the ending so much. **

**The prophecy that Gennai says at the end of the chapter is a variation and tweaking of a similar (well some lines are directly brought on board for sheer beauty's sake) prophecy spoke in the Doctor Who serial Curse of Fenric (if you've been paying attention a lot of my stuff plays homage/has strong links with/even heavily borrowed/quoted from Doctor Who). Really look at Andrew Cartmel's work (though look at the version on VHS or DVD with the added footage and scenes otherwise the whole thing becomes a bit hard to follow). It's beautiful stuff and it's hard to believe that it was made in the 1989, plus who can beat hemaevores, discussion on the nature of faith and a plot that centers on an impossible chessboard maneuver. Yes, there was Doctor Who before Davies and Eccleston and Billie Piper…(and some of it was much better). **


	48. Time, In Memoriam

**I don't own digimon**

**Time, In Memoriam **

* * *

"Let ME GO!" Taku shouted straining his muscles against the black chains that bound him to an invisible pillar hidden in the shadows that surrounded him.

"Oh we both, I can't do that." A light flickered on revealing a young man standing in front of Taku. Black hair was combed neatly on his head. He wore black clothes, and a long black trench coat. The young man walked forward, his steps echoing in the distance. "I need a body, you have a body. If I left you, then I'd have to find someone else."

"Who are you?" Taku growled, glaring at the young man from under his bangs.

"I thought it was clear." The young man said, smiling. He drew in close to Taku and with one finger drew Taku's chin up so Taku's eyes met his. "I'm Kurayami, Founder of Darkness, and you're new roommate…well…master."

"So you are the one that's causing all this fuss." Taku said, pulling away from Kurayami's hand.

"Yes, I suppose I am." Kurayami said, smirking and taking a step backward.

"Why?" Taku asked, glaring at the back of Kurayami's head.

"I have a score to settle." Kurayami said pulling back his duster slightly, revealing the hilt of a sword. "I shall purify this world with fire, burn it to its foundations, and rebuild it."

"In your image I suppose." Taku said, shaking his head. "Is that all you boss villains think about? How well your image will make the rest of the world look better? Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the rest of the world doesn't want your mug?"

Kurayami chuckled and turned around and walked up to Taku he smiled chuckling and put his hand on Taku's shoulder and leaned in close. "Hehe, you have a sense of humor…you're funny…" Suddenly Kurayami's fist drove into Taku's stomach and his face became like pale limestone his eyes looked into Taku's as the boy gasped for breath. They were like black coals set in his limestone features. Kurayami's fist pressed further into Taku's abdomen. "It's a pity, I used to like funny…"

"Bastard…" Taku groaned as he hung in his chains. "My friends…"

"Useless…" Kurayami said, turning away from Taku. "As usual."

"DemiDevimon…" Taku grumbled, standing up. "He won't let you win."

Kurayami shook his head and lifted his arm, snapping his fingers. A projector screen flickered into existence in the air above Taku. It showed a murky image, but Taku could make out the shadowy shapes hovering in the distance. One was Alphamon in his new form, the other was Omnimon.

"I don't think he had much of a choice." Kurayami said, snapping his fingers again and the screen disappeared. "I mean they even threatened your existence. Don't worry though; I got rid of them for you."

"Let me go! Let me GO!" Taku shouted, yanking against his chains. "You better not have hurt them!"

"Silence." Kurayami said, flicking his fingers back at Taku.

Taku suddenly felt some force smash him backwards, tossing his body against an invisible barrier. The chains clanked as he slumped forward, the pain in the back of his head blaring out anything else.

* * *

Lightning flashed through the blackened skies. The children looked up as bolts of energy lashed downward, exploding into the sea below. Taku's body, inhabited by Kurayami glided backward through the air as the lightning sliced, like a scalpel, across the sky.

The digi-destined turned from their friend as they heard the loud howls of great blasts of wind roaring behind them. Four lights burned in the acrid clouds that filled the skies. Blue, green, silver and red, streaks rushed towards them. The children cowed as the lights sliced past them, as if they were insignificant bugs.

The lights faded revealing massive forms underneath. The blue light elongated, its ethereal body uncurling and filling the sky, chains wrapping around its form. Lightning twisted around the blue dragon's serpentine body. Two pairs of glowing eyes glared down at Taku's body. One pair glowed with brilliant white light, the other pair with a yellow light.

The green light faded revealing a giant forest atop the back of a two headed turtle. The turtle was suspended in the air by large rolling clouds. Its underbelly was covered in tan scales whilst its dorsal side was covered with heavy bark-brown, fleshy plates. One of the two heads maintained a pair of slate-gray colored eyes that glowed fiercely. The other head held a purple pair of eyes glaring at Taku.

The silver light glinted unveiling a white tiger with lavender stripes – metal bands covered its rear ankles and heavy iron spikes arose from its spine. The tiger roared, thrusting its head into the air. Two orange and two blue eyes glared down at Taku as the boy merely smirked up at the beast.

The red light flared as flames spewed in all direction, unleashing a giant bird, with four pairs of wings. A jet engine was on its orange-feathered back and its masked head swept up as it screeched. Two of its eyes were green, and two of its eyes were mauve. The bird tilted its head down pointing its long sharp beak at Taku, and holding its wings out.

"Well, that's not fair at all." Taku's eyes scanned from one beast to the next. "You get four really awesome bodies…and all I get is this really crappy, cramped one."

"Then allow us the chance to free you of the burden!" The tiger growled with a pair of voices, its metallic claws curled allowing them to flicker in the flashes of lightning.

"Not yet, Dokyou, Kouyou!" The blue dragon said with a feminine voice. It turned its head to Taku. "Kurayami, you still have a chance to go peacefully back."

"Back?" Kurayami asked, a smirk splaying over Taku's lips. Those same lips then instantly thinned as Taku's eyes glared up at the beasts' and he shook his head. "Rather than unleash my retribution right here, right now, I have the marvelous opportunity to go back to…to…nothingness?" Taku's arms flailed as his body turned, under Kurayami's control, wheeling around as if presenting the world around him. "Please tell me, Hikari, what could possibly be behind door number three?" Kurayami suddenly spun around, pointing a finger at the pair of white eyes glaring at him. "Oh, I know, me, putting you in the Shadow Dimensions where you left me!"

"Same as always…" The turtle head with the purple eyes said, tutting softly and shaking its head.

"You'd think he'd learned his lesson by now." The slate-eyed turtle head said, agreeing with the first.

"Oh, I did." Kurayami said, lifting his hand pressing his fingers together as if to snap them. "The pain, the suffering, all that sorrow you unleashed into the world with your non-interference. There are a lot of digimon that scorn your self-imposed impotence. How many did I hear crying as they deleted, crying, 'Oh great Founders…please give me the strength…please!' 'Oh, help me so I can live…' and yet they came to me instead, mourning their deaths, seething with the hatred of you. Anger and rage unknown even to your unsympathetic eyes, came to me. It cried to me in the darkness, in the hopeless depths, in the loveless realms. It came to me afraid and ignorant, faithless and lost."

"What have you done?" The giant bird asked, its mauve eyes glaring down at Taku's body.

Taku's fingers slid across each other making a quick snapping sound. The skies split apart, and a horrible wailing screamed from the vortex formed. The beasts looked up at the darkness as something descended. "I bring to you my son. My great child of fortune, or…well, misfortune." Taku's lips curled into a smile as a spoked dodecahedron descended. "I give you Apocalymon!"

The great block glided down hovering behind Taku's body like a giant aircraft carrier. The dodecahedron easily matched the beasts in size. The dodecahedron had spokes on it, and each spoke brandished a large chain of what looked like double-helix DNA. The chains ended with huge metallic claws.

"This…this is an atrocity!" A male voice called from the dragon, as the yellow pair of eyes flared.

"Listen to those words, my dear…" Kurayami said, turning to the cube.

Kurayami lifted Taku's body upward to the top of the giant block and gently alighted on the surface of the dodecahedron, walking forward to a dais. The floor of the dais hissed and opened and a humanoid form rose up from the innards of the massive object.

The children gulped, catching a glimpse of the creature. Its upper body was covered in black leather, and had singed, gray flesh exposed on the face, most of which was mercifully covered by a mask. Its lower body degenerated into a conflagration of hoses and cables that literally plugged the body into the dodecahedron. Its long arms ended in thin fingers with long red claws. A large cape unfurled flapping in the wind.

"A-a-atrocity…" The creature from the cube said, raising its hands up. "I am…an atrocity?"

"Those nasty Founders think you are." Kurayami said, pointing to the beasts.

"I'm…an atrocity?" The creature looked down at the cables rooting it in place. "They hate me?"

"Oh, yes, I do think so." Kurayami said, nodding.

"Why do they hate me, Papa?" The creature asked, tugging at its cloak as if trying to hide its body from the beasts.

"Don't think you'll win us any sympathy with this show!" The dragon growled, lightning fizzling on the dragon's chains.

"The answer to that is quite simple." Kurayami said, ignoring the dragon. "They hate you, because you came from me. They don't like things I make. They allow others to break them."

"Don't they like you, Papa?" the creature asked, looking down to Kurayami.

"No, they don't." Kurayami said, looking up at the beasts. "You see, they think they're better than us, and because of that, they think they can lock us away and destroy everything we liked. They think we're evil because we wanted a little justice in the world."

"Your digimon had committed grave crimes of morality!" The tiger roared, taking a step forward.

"And yours didn't?" Kurayami shot back, glaring at the tiger. "We should have interfered."

"We can't!" The dragon said, curling in front of the tiger.

"We…can!" Kurayami thrust Taku's arms forward and a black wave of fog, crackling with energy, flew at the dragon.

Chains flew from the dragon, crisscrossing in front of the fog, bracing against it. Lightning lashed across the darkness and then tore forward, clawing towards Kurayami.

"TAKU!" Ren screamed as she watched the lightning flash towards Kurayami.

"Lampranthus!" One of Apocalymon's DNA chains whipped forward and the claw opened as a bestial goat form bubbled out from within the claw. The goat's mouth opened and twisting, black flower petals flew forward exploding into the bolts of lightning. The dodecahedron pushed forward, the large chains of DNA flailing like a medusa's head. "No one hurts Papa!"

"Very good of you, Apocalymon." Kurayami said, gliding backward behind Apocalymon. Kurayami looked to the beasts. "You'll find that my son is encoded with the attack of every digimon that has passed through my presence. While that may not be enough to destroy you gods, it is quite enough to tear your bodies from you."

"Such impertinence, from a Founder nonetheless!" The giant bird screeched, flaring its wings. "Your puppet can't hope to defeat us! Blazing Helix!"

A twisting stream of flame fired towards Kurayami, but Apocalymon dove in front of the attacks, flicked a claw in front of the flames and released a tidal surge of water, dousing the flames. Four more claws rose up and opened.

"Crystal Revolution! Judecca Prison! Death Eye Arrow! Giga Sea Destroyer!" Apocalymon shouted as four different attacks flew forward.

The beasts howled as the attacks exploded over their bodies, pushing them backward. Apocalymon wasn't finished though and pushed his offense forward, lifting four more claws. This time a huge, claymore sized kunai flew forward. A crimson tornado joined the kunai as did a bola of electricity and a pair of energy cannon pulses. The beasts were tossed backward again.

"Black Hail!" The turtle spat, as black stones flew downward, pelting Apocalymon.

"We can't stay here…" Marine Angemon shouted, as the hail stones shot past his bubble.

"Aurora Undulations!" A stream of twisting spectral colors swooshed past the bubble.

"We can't leave." Kisho said, looking at Marine Angemon. He clenched his fists as the world around him exploding and fragmented, as the game of gods were playing, played out on a chessboard of real life. He closed his eyes as he saw Marine Angemon begin to retort. "I told Taku I wasn't going to leave him. He's part of us, he's my friend, and I'm not leaving him behind. I'm not leaving DORUmon behind, or Guilmon, or DemiDevimon or Agumon or Renamon. They are our friends. No, they are more than that, they are a part of us; they are our partners. I'm not leaving them, Marine Angemon. If you want you can take us back to that island, and leave, but we're not going to give up."

Marine Angemon looked at the other children. They were all looking at him, waiting for a reply. All of them were standing resolute behind Kisho.

"If you want this…" Marine Angemon said, as his bubble floated away from the bigger explosions. "Then I'll help you."

"We need to get our partners." Haru said, he turned looking at the fight behind them.

The four beast digimon were raging against the gigantic Apocalymon. The large dodecahedron body of Apocalymon buffeted against the offensive, but the near infinite amounts of claws he possessed rose to the challenge, spewing out dozens of counterattacks against each beast. All the while Kurayami, in Taku's body, was hovering behind Apocalymon.

"Omnimon!" Jiro shouted, dropping to his knees, and pressing his hands on the bottom of Marine Angemon's bubble. "Please, you have to get up! We need your help! Taku needs your help!"

"Screaming isn't going to help…" Marine Angemon grumbled, covering his ears.

"Maybe…Jiro's got the right idea." Ren said, kneeling next to Jiro and clasping her hands together. "Please, Omnimon. I could really use your help right now. We all could. I'm scared, and I'm worried about you."

"Alphamon…" Kisho said, looking down at the ocean below. "Come on buddy, you're stronger than this…"

"If you don't come back we can't get Taku back, we can't stop Kurayami and save everyone." Haru said, joining Kisho.

"Asking nicely isn't going to work!" Marine Angemon said, flying forward.

The children were silent their eyes closed and their hands clasped over their chests. Marine Angemon closed his mouth, light was emanating from their hands. The lights fired downwards piercing the black, fog-covered ocean. The ocean suddenly exploded upward, two knights rising up through the sea spray.

The children looked up and cheered as Alphamon and Omnimon hovered above them. The two knights looked at each other and then to the digi-destined.

"What happened, how'd we end up in the ocean?" Omnimon asked, shaking his head.

"Taku…well, Kurayami attacked you." Ren said, looking up at the white armored knight.

"That's right, Taku…" Omnimon said, lifting his right arm. The wolf's head's eyes glowing.

"First we have to stop that thing that Kurayami's pulled into this world with him!" Haru said, pointing to Apocalymon. "You have to help those four holy beasts!"

"We can deal with Kurayami after that!" Kisho said, nodding.

"Right." Alphamon said lifting his halberd. The black knight looked to Omnimon. "Are you ready?"

"Born ready." Omnimon said, lifting his Transcendent sword.

* * *

Kurayami smirked as he watched the blue dragon ensnared by thousands of black tentacles. The black turtle groaned under a volley of crystals that exploded around him. Bolas of energy smashed into the white tiger and the giant flaming phoenix. The Founders may have had near unlimited power; they were greatly restrained by the power their chosen bodies could take. Furthermore, the Founders' bodies had been severely injured by Apocalymon's power, Apocalymon was barely scuffed. Soon they'd be forced to return to the ethereal realms, leaving him to unleash his full power upon the Digital World.

"Supreme Cannon!" Roared a voice.

The hair on Kurayami's back tingled as a bolt of blue energy flew past his head, exploding in the back of Apocalymon's anthropoid body.

"Digitalize of Soul!" A green bomb of energy exploded upon the dodecahedron's surface.

Kurayami covered his face as energy rushed past him. He then turned around; the two knights he'd crushed earlier were hovering in the air behind him. Kurayami growled, gritting his teeth.

"Interfering insects!" Kurayami shouted swiping his hand out and releasing a black fog towards the two knights.

"Transcendent Sword!" The white knight lifted its sword and slicing through the shadows.

The black knight dove towards Apocalymon - the large wings on its back pressed against its black armor. It swung its halberd a green aura surrounding the blade. Apocalymon was still reeling from the first surprise attack. The Founders' bodies rose into the air, retreating as the black knight raged forward.

"Ultimate War Blade King Dragon Sword!" The black knight sliced forward.

"Reverse Digivolution…" One of Apocalymon's claws launched out of the dodecahedron, grabbing the knight.

The chains holding the claw writhed like a snake and then flicked forward thrusting its contents into the air. Two small rookies tumbled through the air, falling.

Kurayami lifted his hand and pointed at the two digimon. A bolt of black fired towards the defenseless figures. The dark god smirked in bemusement as the white knight dove in front of the blast, taking the energy bolt in the back.

Explosions erupted behind him and Kurayami turned to find the fight against the Founders renewed. Kurayami closed his eyes. The Founders' bodies were at their limit; soon they would be forced to leave. The game was coming to an end, and white was in check.

* * *

"What the heck was that!?" Haru shouted as he watched Apocalymon toss Guilmon and DORUmon towards the ocean.

A few seconds later Omnimon was diving down to catch them only to be struck by Kurayami's own attack. The knight survived but looked worse for the wear. Omnimon was soon hovering behind Marine Angemon's bubble, holding Guilmon and DORUmon in his arms.

"We can't give up…we can't." Jiro said, looking up at the fight. "Taku's still in there."

"He can drain revert our digimon to their Rookie form, but that doesn't mean we can't keep fighting." Kisho said, clutching his tags and crests. He turned to DORUmon. "Are you ready to try again?"

The purple fox dragon nodded sharply, clenching his clawed hands. "We have to save Taku."

"What good would it do?" Haru asked, looking back to Kisho and DORUmon. "Even if we evolved completely, Apocalymon would just revert you."

"Then we'll just have to digivolve again and again!" Guilmon said, standing up. "If we don't do anything the bad guys will win right? And Taku will be trapped with Kurayami and the Digital World will be erased. I'm not afraid Haru."

"Smartest thing that fool's said since the beginning." Omnimon said, with ExVeemon's voice.

"I need you, Haru." Kisho said, looking up at the blonde. "We need each other, we always have. We can't give in…"

"Right…" Haru said, nodding and turning around to look at Apocalymon. "We'll need to avoid those claws, it may be best to coordinate attacks with those beast digimon." Haru looked back at Guilmon. "Give him your best."

Seconds later Alphamon and Omnimon were going once again into the breach.

"I just realized something…" Ren said, looking up at the fight. "Those beasts hold the Founders, right?"

"Each set of eyes represent the presence of a Founder yes…" Marine Angemon said, looking to the brown haired girl.

"There's only four beasts…" The girl said, looking to Marine Angemon and then to the other children.

"Yeah so?" Kisho said, blinking and shaking his head.

"Kisho, there are only four beasts…that's eight Founders…" Ren said, showing the number by extending her fingers.

"And…" Kisho said, shaking his head.

"Kurayami makes nine…" Haru said, blinking as he looked up at the battle. "The crests we hold represent the Founders of the Digital World. There are ten crests…where's the last Founder?"

* * *

"Psst…" Something hissed in Taku's ear.

Taku slowly opened his eyes, blinking. There wasn't much to see in the darkness. He still felt the chains around his arms and legs.

"Psst…" The hiss whispered into his ear again.

Taku jerked away from the hiss, looking in that direction but seeing nothing in the blackness. Taku could hear the echoes of a great battle exploding around him, but the muffled echoes made the battle sound as if it was a million miles away. He continued to slowly survey the darkness around him in hopes of finding whatever it was that had hissed in his ear.

"Who's there?" Taku whispered, not sure why he was whispering.

"Shh…" hissed a voice.

Taku turned his head in the direction of the hiss. A crimson-pink glow reached out of the darkness, and slowly took shape. It was a womanly shape, with long draping, flowery robes that fell to the ground. The face was covered in rouge and white makeup and the black hair was tied into a bun.

"Who are you?" Taku whispered, looking to the person in front of him.

"My, what an unpleasant place…" The person replied, walking forward, grimacing. "So much coldness and darkness. So much pain and anguish. No wonder Kurayami took up shop here."

"Ok, what the hell?" Taku growled, yanking at his chains. "Is this some sort of mind game by Kurayami? Because I'm not getting it."

"Ah…now this looks about right…" The person said, bending down and reaching out to a small flower that was poking up out of the ground. It was a red rose and the stranger gently slipped their thin white fingers on either side of the stem. "Ah, it's built on guilt but it still has a modicum of purity to it…"

"Whatever, I don't have time for this stupid stuff." Taku said, as he turned his focus to the chains that were binding him.

"Kindness." The person said, their voice was very near now.

Taku looked up. The stranger's face was only a few inches from his. Taku instinctually leapt backward. The person's lipsticked lips shifted left and right as if the person was deciding.

"What about it?" Taku asked, his eyes flicking down to the crest on his chest.

"It tempers the blade of Darkness." The stranger said, lifting the flower up. "This is your kindness. You've hidden it in a deep dark place, but even that couldn't starve it. You've polluted it with guilt and suffering and rage and even that could not wither its leaves. You've even tried to ignore it, but it won't disappear."

"Yeah, whatever, if you can't help me get out of these chains, then I don't have time for you." Taku said, as his hands grabbed at the shackles around his wrists.

"Chains are easy to break; one only need find the weakest link." The stranger said, as he walked around the pillar that Taku was chained to.

The stranger's dark eyes flashed upwards and he lifted a finger gently tapping the air. The atmosphere wavered like a pool of water. Taku narrowed his eyes. A battle was raging. Four giant beasts against what looked like a Rubik's cube. Taku then saw Omnimon and Alphamon flying into the battle.

"I thought they had been…" Taku said, as he watched the knights drive towards the dodecahedron.

"They're fighting to free you, to save the world, to stop Kurayami." The stranger said. The stranger looked to Taku. "Kurayami isn't the kind of evil one can fight from the outside. In all actuality Kurayami isn't even evil, just poisoned, like you. Lost in his rage and guilt. Tragic really, he had such a beautiful intellect. If you play by his rules, you'll lose."

"Can you help me out of these chains or not?" Taku said, his attention dropping back to the metal bands that bound his hands.

"Yes, Kankou, surely you could break the ties that bind…" Kurayami's voice said.

Taku looked up finding the young man from before walking forward. The black trench coat fluttered in the breeze as he walked forward. The stranger took a hesitant step forward.

"Kurayami, you know I cannot allow you to do this." The stranger said, looking to the young man. "This is a sentient being; you can't just possess him without his consent."

"Then stop me." Kurayami said, and with a flash of movement the stranger was sent hurtling backward. Kurayami's arm was extended with two fingers pointed at the position that the stranger had been placed. Kurayami's eyes flicked over to Taku and a cold sneer trickled across the dark Founder's lips. "That other crest was useless anyways. It's a wonder you ever got it to glow. You're such a pathetic little thing, a being even a mother couldn't be bothered in bearing."

"That's not important, they love me now; I know why my mom wasn't able to have me normally." Taku said growling under his breath. "They still love me."

"And your brother?" Kurayami asked, smirking to himself.

"My brother is…" Taku started to say.

"Your brother is what?" Kurayami walked closer to Taku. "He locked you in closets, smacked you, stole your things, ridiculed you and hated you. He even sold you out to Matadormon."

"Katsuo…" Taku closed his eyes and dredged deep. "He was my brother, I hated him so much…but…I loved him, too!" Taku opened his eyes and glared up at Kurayami. "I felt bad when I saw him laying there filled with Matadormon's blades! He didn't deserve that! I don't care what kind of bastard he was…He didn't deserve what happened!" Taku clenched his fists. "No one deserves to be hurt like that."

Kurayami's eyes narrowed as he took a step back. His eyes bore down on Taku. Taku wasn't sure what was going on, but he felt that it must be something Kurayami was afraid of.

"You think this will change anything?" Kurayami asked, flicking a glance to the stranger. "Mmm, Kankou?" Kurayami's hand slid to his side. He drew a massive sword from the hilt attached to his belt. The blade burned with fire. Kurayami's black eyes glowed in the light of the orange flame. "The Flaming Sword of Vengeance, prophesied to burn the world to its core. Do you think you can stop it, Kankou, or do you think this puny little fearful child can stop it?"

Kurayami lifted the sword. Taku watched the weapon, stunned shocked into numbness by the spears of fire flying upwards from the blade. Taku felt his body scream in agony as the flames rose into the darkness.

In a blink, the blade was reaching out towards him. A second blink, the sword was holding its position, being held back. Taku took a gulp, and looked up. The sword, with Kurayami driving his muscle into the cut, was being held back by the sprig of rose held up by the stranger in the dress.

"Kankou, you fool…" Kurayami smirked as he pushed, driving Kankou to its knees. "You can't defeat me, you can't stop me…"

"My power is not yours; you cannot understand that which you do not possess, you know nothing of my power or the strength it has." Kankou said, straining its muscles against the sword.

"I know my power is greater than yours." Kurayami said, his eyes flared with orange flame. "Burn!"

A fireball engulfed the flower-dressed stranger. Kurayami pulled back and watched as the flames raged in all directions. The flames died down, leaving behind a horrible, red and black charred form, kneeling on the ground moaning softly as its hands lifted to its face, chunks of blackened skin crumbling and falling to the ground as ash. Kurayami sheathed his sword and walked forward, up to the burned stranger. The figure's face lifted painfully to look at Kurayami. Charcoal skin crumbling and crackling free from the shifting skin. Bare, exposed bloody flesh gleamed in the false light.

"Burn and rage all you want - hate and kill all you wish…" Kankou said, its parched lips cracking and bleeding as it did so. "You can't escape the fact that even in you, there is part of me…"

"Silence!" Kurayami backhanded Kankou, his hand smacking the raw, bleeding flesh. The dark Founder pounced on the burned and bloodied figure and raised his fists, drilling them into Kankou's scorched body. "You think you can stop me!? You think you have all this power!? You can't even free a single child! Powerless, impotent, little traitor!" Kurayami stood up and dragged Kankou up by a layer of dead, charred skin. "Where were you when they screamed for mercy? Where were you when they called for help? Where were you when they were tortured and trapped and killed?" Kurayami drilled a fist into Kankou's stomach. Kankou screamed, slumping down to the ground and falling onto his back. Kurayami lifted his foot and started stomping down on the fallen stranger. "You gave the Digital World suffering and pain with no redemption! So now you will feel that pain a thousand fold…" Kurayami shouted kicking and stomping the fallen form. Kankou cried, whimpering, screeching cries and Kurayami started to giggle gleefully as he watched his fellow Founder curl up into a ball. "Oh the sound of the suffering…when it comes to pain quality is so much better than quantity…"

"LET HIM BE!" Taku shouted, tugging at his chains.

Kurayami stopped, and turned. "Don't interrupt me when I'm eulogizing."

"Shut up!" Taku shouted, clenching his fist and thrusting meaningless punches in Kurayami's direction as he clattered against the chains. "You hurt him enough! You don't need to do this!" Taku's said, his breaths becoming short and heavy. "No one deserves this treatment! Let him GO!"

Taku thrust his arm forward and the chains snapped. The other chains broke exploding into rust and Taku leapt towards Kurayami. Taku drove a fist into the Founder's face, knocking Kurayami off his burnt victim.

Taku stood up, and instantly the world around him changed. A dark vortex hovered above him. A dodecahedron was struggling against four beasts, and Omnimon and Alphamon were darting around the genetic chains that flailed in all directions.

Taku blinked and then looked down. The world bobbed underneath him as he took a giant, terrified breath. He flailed his arms as he lost his balance and tumbled towards the fog-enshrouded ocean below.

He screamed as he fell, though his voice was choked out by the wind. Just as he was about to hit the fog bank the world jerked out from under him and he was thrust back into the darkness. A great strength swung him around and tossed him to the ground. Taku rolled on the darkened ground and looked up. Kurayami was standing over him, his tongue pressed against the cheek Taku had struck.

"So you think you can fight me?" Kurayami said, walking forward. His black coat fluttered with the movement. His eyes flickered softly in the gloom.

Taku scooted backward as Kurayami advanced on him. He wasn't sure how to fight him. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He glanced over to where Kankou had been. The Founder was still lying there burnt to a crisp like an overly done piece of barbecued chicken.

Kurayami swept his hand into his coat, pushing the jacket back to reveal the hilt of his sword. Taku's eyes widened as the blade was drawn its reddish glow flaring in the twilight of the world he was in. Taku's hand came down on something sharp and he fell backward falling on the ground. He turned his head to the thing that had stabbed him. It was a red rose, with a thorny stem. He looked up at Kurayami, the Founder was now nearly on top of him.

Kurayami lifted the sword – heat pulsed off of the orange blade. A crooked smile played across the Founder's lips. The sword dropped, blade slicing through the air and then stopped. Kurayami's eyes widened as he looked down.

Taku gulped, looking up. His arm thrust above him with the stem of the rose holding back Kurayami's sword. His palms bled as the thorns dug into his skin.

Kurayami growled as he pressed down against the flower. The Founder's arms trembled with the strain and he gritted his teeth, his fingers curling tighter and tighter around the hilt of the sword.

Taku rose up, slowly pushing against Kurayami rising off of his elbows and struggling to his knees, all the while pushing the rose against the blade of Kurayami's revenge. A smile of confidence grew as Taku pushed backed the god.

"Do you think this pathetic strip of kindness will stop me?" Kurayami growled, as his eyes flashed over Taku's face. "Your smile will crackle in the flames of my revenge!"

The sword pulsed, and the rose exploded. Each thorn erupted into a vine and within seconds Kurayami's blade was mummified in a thorny whip. Kurayami staggered in surprise allowing Taku to rise to his feet and push Kurayami back.

"Gennai was right, they were all right." Taku said as he pushed Kurayami back. "Darkness's sword can only be sheathed by Kindness."

Taku looked up the battle was still at a stalemate, but the rift above the fight, the rift that the dodecahedron had come from was widening. Taku's eyes returned to Kurayami as he continued to retreat against Taku's push.

"That rift will soon cover the entire Digital World, cutting it off from all other realities." Kurayami said, smirking slightly. "As the Beasts and your pets fight; the rift grows bigger, as it grows bigger more darkness will seep in and soon the entire Digital World will be bath in shadows my domain will be complete over the world."

"How do we stop it?" Taku growled, pushing Kurayami and knocking the Founder to the ground, pinning him down under the thorny sheathe of his sword.

"Apocalymon is the lynchpin. His entrance into the world catalyzed the barrier's deterioration." Kurayami chuckled, looking up at Taku. "And I am drawing the darkness out of the void strengthening Apocalymon. You can't defeat Apocalymon and you can't destroy me."

"No…but I can send you somewhere else." Taku said, gritting his teeth pressing the sword against Kurayami's chest.

"You wouldn't…" Kurayami said, wriggling under Taku's weight.

"I have to, don't I?" Taku said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

He could smell the salt air and he slowly opened his eyes.

* * *

Ren looked up. Taku was staring at them. She gulped as she watched him walk towards them. It was an odd, unpleasant thing to watch. She'd seen Taku fall the last time, but this was far more frightening as he walked on the air.

"Guys…" Ren said, pointing at Taku.

Taku's walk was stiff, and jerky as if he was struggling against something or being held back. The other digi-destined were now looking at him. Haru and Kisho had sober faces full of worry and anger. Jiro pushed forward.

"Taku!" Jiro shouted pressing his hands against Marine Angemon's bubble.

"Ji-ro…" Taku said, wincing as he spoke. His hand clenched and he slowly closed his eyes and furrowed his brows concentrating. "I-need you to do something…it won't be easy."

"Taku are you ok?" Kisho asked, looking at Taku. "Are you hurt?"

Taku closed his coal-colored eyes and pressed his hand against his chest. "I need you…to have Omnimon shoot at me."

"What!?" The children all said, eyes wide and jaws dropped.

"Why? No, wait, we're not doing that!" Ren shouted, glaring at Taku. "You'll get burned to ashes!"

"That's…the plan." Taku said, pursing his lips and slowly curling forward. "Kurayami is drawing power out of the rift above us…he's using it to strengthen Apocalymon…and Apocalymon's existence is widening the rift…"

"It's a giant positive feedback loop…" Haru said, looking at the others. Haru looked to Taku. "Even if this is true, shooting you won't help, Kurayami won't be destroyed by it…"

"No, but if he's like the others, then he needs a physical body to be here…" Marine Angemon said, hovering forward. "Without a physical body, he'll return to the ether where the other Founders can act upon him directly…"

Taku winced and nodded.

"Even so, we tried attacking him, he'd just deflect it!" Haru said, looking back to Taku.

"I'm…holding him back…" Taku said, the hand on his chest clenched against his shirt. "If you do it…he can't avoid it…"

"No, we won't do it!" Kisho said, closing his hand. "There has to be another way!"

"Don't chicken out now…just because it's hard." Taku hissed through gritted teeth. His eyes flared opened looking at Kisho. "Just do it!"

"No!" Kisho shouted.

"I can't hold him…forever…" Kisho said as he staggered backward.

"Taku!" Ren yelped, fearing the boy would fall backward.

"Ren…your family…" Taku whispered, looking up at the girl. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "If Kurayami gets his way darkness and despair will flood the world. Do you remember that nightmare Belphemon showed you? If Kurayami wins…that nightmare will become reality."

"We can beat him though!" Kisho shouted, clenching his fists. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself!"

"No, you can't." Taku said. "He's holding back, he's toying with us…only I can hold him and it's a struggle at that."

"Taku…" Jiro looked up at the boy; his eyes were welled up with tears. He sniffed as his nose ran. "This isn't fair. There has to be another way. You can't just give up!"

"There isn't time." Taku said, taking another big breath. He turned and started to walk away. "Just…do it."

"We can't do it!" Kisho and Ren shouted.

"We won't let it happen!" Ren shouted.

"Coward!" Kisho shouted.

Haru held up his hand. The blonde looked at the two older children. "We're in a crunch."

"But, Haru…" Jiro looked up at his brother. "Taku is our friend we have to protect him, no matter what."

"We have a bigger responsibility to everyone else." Haru said, looking up at the battle raging above them. The crack in the sky reached out towards the horizon. "Taku, is holding Kurayami back, we can't give in to Kurayami. Taku's put faith in us."

"You can't even be considering it!" Ren shouted, grabbing Haru by the front of the blue shirt he was wearing.

"Taku's not in a position to make a good decision!" Kisho said, looking at Haru. "We have to protect him from himself!"

There was a loud roar. The children looked up. The blue dragon was being pummeled by Apocalymon and the other beasts were being beaten into submission. Omnimon and Alphamon were struggling to hold back Apocalymon's attacks.

Jiro closed his eyes and lifted his digivice. "DemiDevimon…I'm sorry…"

* * *

Taku crumpled to his knees as the inner turmoil boiled under his skin. He could feel the heat of Kurayami's sword pulsing through the vines of the rose. His hands felt as if they were on fire, and he could barely hold conscious control of Kurayami's power without losing control to the Founder. His body felt like it was tearing in two like his mind. He couldn't hold it much longer. His head felt heavy and it took a lot of effort to lift it and open his eyes.

Apocalymon was slowly gaining the upper hand over the four beasts. The digi-destineds' partners were barely making a difference in their fight with the giant dodecahedron. They just kept fighting on and on.

He could hear in the background of his mind Kurayami's laughter. The voices whispered in the back of his mind. The doubt was building 'What if they didn't do what he asked?' 'What if Omnimon refused?' 'What if this didn't work?'. The fear burned against his hands as Kurayami's struggled even more.

"Hurry…" Taku hissed under his breath. "Please…"

"You know they won't do it…" Shadows filled in along the periphery of Taku's vision. "Part of you doesn't want them to, and that part of you makes me stronger, that selfish fear."

The shadows continued to swallow the world and Taku's vision. Taku closed his eyes and he felt the heat pulsing in front of him. Taku opened his eyes. Kurayami was under him, pinned by his own blade. The vines wrapped around Kurayami's blade were black, as tongues of flame flicked out between the tendrils of blackened-green. Taku closed his eyes straining as a pulse of warmth lashed out at him, tingling his cheeks.

"I…I…" Taku's muscles tightened.

"You're weakening, you don't want to die." Kurayami chuckled, as the flames rolled free from the botanical sheathe. "Least of all do you want to force them to kill you…see what kindness does?"

"It's too late." Taku said, opening his eyes. The world around him and Kurayami blazed with blue light. It was cold, not like Taku had expected. He felt his skin explode as the ice crystallized around him.

Kurayami glared at Taku. Taku dropped the rose.

"This body? But they are killing you!" Kurayami roared, grabbing Taku's falling form. "You're dying, idiot!"

"Yeah, and soon enough there won't be enough of me left to keep this little mind universe thing up…and you'll end up wherever you end up going." Taku whispered, his eyes fell to his feet and he saw the little particles spilling away from his body. It was just like how the digimon deleted.

"Must find a body!" Kurayami shouted, dropping Taku and spinning around looking frantically. "A physical form, anything!" Kurayami looked up and turned. "There that!"

The Founder leapt forward and melted into the air as Taku watched the last of his torso dissolve into particles.

* * *

"Omnimon, what have you done?" Alphamon shouted as he looked over at the white knight, the icy frost hissing off his cannon's barrel.

The blue blast flew towards Taku's body. The blue flared into bright white explosion. The knight lowered his cannon and looked down.

"I did what I had to." Omnimon's voice said, the multi-toned voice leaning heavily on the paired voices of Metal Garurumon.

"You shot Taku!" Alphamon shouted flying towards Omnimon. "Your partner!"

"I know that!" Omnimon glared at the black night one blue eye glowing. "I didn't want to, but…I could hear him calling for me. Jiro said that Taku said to do it…to save the world. He was holding Kurayami. It was the only opening."

"There had to be another way!" Alphamon pleaded, looking at Omnimon for some sign of sympathy.

"I said the same thing, to myself." The knight glowed splitting into WarGreymon, Magnamon and DemiMeramon. The little fireball growled and glared at Alphamon. "Do you think I wanted to kill him? Do you think I wanted to shoot? I regret the decision, and maybe if I had another chance, I'd make a different choice, but it was my choice, I made it! Because Taku wanted it."

"Do you think, Taku would make the same choice as you, if the situation were reversed?" Magnamon asked, looking at the fireball.

"We won't ever know now." DemiMeramon said, as he looked up. The beasts were leaping upon the distracted Apocalymon now. "Stupid Taku. I always hated him…such a stupid idiot human!"

* * *

"TAKU!" Ren screamed as she watched Omnimon's icy blast from his Supreme Cannon envelope the boy's body. She spun around and grabbed Jiro. "How could you turn Omnimon on him?"

"It was the choice that needed to be made." Haru said, his eyes didn't meet Ren's.

"There had to be another way!" Kisho said, clenching his fists.

"Look!" Marine Angemon flew forward, pointing upward.

Apocalymon froze in the air. The four beast digimon leapt at the opening. The dragon, phoenix, tiger and turtle concentrated and together fired a focused beam of energy against the dodecahedron. The power built up against the unshifting shape and then with a collective roar the beasts thrust themselves forward and the dodecahedron was pushed into the rift. The black crack in the sky retreated and sealed itself up as Apocalymon fell further into the abyss beyond the breach.

"It's over…" Haru said, as the last sliver of the darkness thinned into nothing.

"It's cost too much." Kisho said, gritting his teeth. He turned to Marine Angemon. "Take us up there. I want a word with those 'Gods'."

"I…well…" Marine Angemon looked away from the children and then sighed. "Ok…"

* * *

Marine Angemon's bubble hovered in front of the four beasts. The giant digimon filled the sky above the children. The digi-destineds' digimon were on either side of the bubble, with DemiMeramon hovering slightly behind Magnamon's left leg.

"The Human's Children are indeed more powerful than I expected." The blue dragon said looking down at the bubble.

"Only four." The phoenix said, glancing of the children.

"Aye, one of the little tykes was Kurayami's vessel." One of the giant turtle's heads said.

"Then that means…" The other head took a deep breath.

"This child the one that bore Kurayami, must have been a great hero…" The tiger said, looking up at the children. "To be able to hold back the powers of Darkness for so long, to be able to protect Kankou…"

"He was a selfish coward." Kisho shouted, glaring up at the beasts. "He got himself killed! He didn't let us try to help him!"

"Kisho…." Marine Angemon hissed as the four beasts glared down at Kisho.

"Would you rather have let Kurayami escape and destroy the world?" The phoenix grumbled, its eyes narrowing in Kisho's direction.

"There should've been another way." Ren said, looking up at the orange feathered bird. "We shouldn't have been made to make that kind of decision…No one should!"

"The world is not a place of happy endings, the shadows of darkness blend and merge with the light." The turtle said, the two heads looking down at the children and speaking in unison. "A clear cut victory can't always be made."

"But you're gods!" Haru shouted, the other children looked back at the blonde as he walked forward. "Surely those of such great power, have the ability to…"

"Such an act is not permissible!" The phoenix snarled, flames flooding from its splaying wings. "Those that die; must remain dead! It is our greatest tenet even greater than the one of non-interference!"

"But…he sacrificed everything for you!" Jiro said, looking up at the beasts. The little boy's eyes fell upon the eyes of the dragon. "We've done everything we could, we've saved this world, fought the monsters…" Jiro sniffed and he closed his eyes as tears streaked down his face. "We only have this little thing to ask of you? What kind of gods are you if you can't grant one prayer?"

"There can be no debate!" The phoenix growled, glaring at the other beasts.

"Everything has a time…we cannot change that." The tiger nodded in agreement with the bird.

"Ach boot he's gone and given his life for us." The turtle said, both heads looking to the children with long faces. "If it weren't for our interference he would be alive."

"It doesn't matter!" The phoenix replied looking away from the children and to the other beasts. "The human's time was over, we cannot change that."

"Perhaps…" The blue dragon glided forward. "He was lost too soon, lost before his time. After all, it is our interference that has changed the human's destiny."

"Hikari! You can't be proposing…" The phoenix flashed a glare up at the dragon. "Yuubou, even you, most lax of us, must know this is only a route towards trouble!"

"Dokyou, even you must realize that we must have courage to break our own convictions when the time and the situation proves those convictions in err." The dragon said, looking back to the other beasts.

"No, we can't!" The phoenix shouted.

"I, Hikari, am the leader, the decision is mine to make." The dragon said, looking back towards the bird. The dragon's eyes fell back to the children. "This festering war has caused too much death, too many have fallen, brand new creatures, wise old men, and age old enemies from the dawn of time. And I, for one, will not allow this death to stand. No, this time we must stand against the inevitability and rise to our rightful place as gods of the world, as Founders of reality!"

"You're going to bring Taku back!" Ren cheered.

"No." The dragon said. "We'll simply give you your time back; return your fate to you."

"What's that mean…?" Haru said, looking up.

The four beasts' eyes glowed. The glow exploded forward, engulfing the sky around the children, and blurring out Marine Angemon and their partners. Each one of them slowly faded in the white light of the blur, the light splitting them apart.

* * *

"Hey, Kisho!" shouted Ren as she ran forward. She was wearing a maroon skirt and top. She had a bag and a purse over a shoulder.

Kisho turned slightly and waved at Ren. "Hi Ren, are you ready for your trip into the mountains?"

Ren stopped mid-step and looked at Kisho. "Mountains? How do you know about that?"

"You must have told me." Kisho said, smiling dumbly. He rubbed the back of his head, tussling his spiky brown hair.

"Impossible, my Grandmother just told me this morning…and I haven't told anyone…" Ren said, looking up at Kisho.

"Oh well, lucky guess I suppose." Kisho said, smiling and laughing to himself. "Well, I'm…"

"Going to go help your grandfather on his fishing boat." Ren said smiling.

Kisho blinked, his mouth agape. "That's just…just…weird…" Kisho walked forward and inspected Ren.

The girl took a hesitant step backward and frowned. "GAh! Personal space!"

"How did you know?" Kisho asked, blinking at Ren. Suddenly, he felt something, up his back, he jerked his head up towards the sky.

"What is it?" Ren instantly jerked her head up at the sky. "There's nothing up there."

"It feels like there should be…" Kisho said, scratching his head as he looked up into the sky. Kisho looked down at Ren. "I've had a weird feeling all day…like there was something missing," Kisho reached up to his chest and closed his hand over his heart as if grasping a locket, "like there's someone's name I'm supposed to remember, like I have to do something important but…I can't…remember what…"

"I have those all the time." Ren said, smiling and waving her hand dismissing the thought. "Usually it's because I remember a dream…it's probably that."

"Yeah…" Kisho said, looking to the sky again. He took a deep breath and ruffled his hair once more. "Though I keep thinking of this one name really clearly…Taku…"

"Now, that's odd." Ren said, taking a quick breath. "I've been thinking of that name too…"

Kisho shrugged. "Maybe we're just a couple of oddballs."

"Yeah…" Ren said, furrowing her brow.

In the distance a set of bells went off, school bells probably. Kisho looked up. "I have to go, Grandfather's meeting me at home!"

"Have a good summer, don't get too seasick!" Ren shouted, wondering how she knew that.

Kisho stopped, turned to look at her and then blinked and ran off down the street. Ren sighed and shifted her bags on her shoulder and then continued homeward.

* * *

"What did you do?!" Magnamon shouted. His golden armor glowed and he reverted to a dinosaur. 

Alphamon glowed as well returning to his original forms, Guilmon and DORUmon. WarGreymon's armor flared and she returned to her Rookie forms. DemiMeramon looked over his fellow digimon. The five digimon were enveloped by a lavender bubble and Marine Angemon was hovering above them.

The blue dragon looked down at them. "We have shifted them, returned them to their fate, before our interference."

"Where are they?" Renamon asked, looking up at the four beasts.

"The Human World." The dragon said as a blue planet shimmered into existence between the beasts and Marine Angemon's bubble. The globe started to spin backward, streaks of lightning flared over the surface of the world. "We untilized the power of the world, and drew the Human World backward, shifting away from the Digital World, time wise. The digital gates are closed. This world will remain as it was, as it is, and as it will be. But the Human World, those humans, will be allowed to live their lives, as fate will dictate."

"What of the crests?" Marine Angemon asked, looking up at the four beasts.

"They have all been returned to Gennai's people." The blue dragon said, looking to the west. "All but two. One is the Crest of Darkness, which will remain hidden where it lies. Kurayami's frantic escape proved to be his prison, and he now trapped within its confines. The other is the Crest of Kindness. The crest's tag has been destroyed and Kankou has been severely injured in his struggle against Kurayami…it is a miracle he survived the experience."

"And what of you?" Guilmon asked, in his childish voice, putting a claw innocently to his lips.

"We Founders will return to our plane of existence, Kurayami is contained. Apocalymon is in his place." The blue dragon said. "We must have hope that Kurayami will one day repent."

"Yeah, because that worked so well the last time." DemiMeramon grumbled glaring up at the beasts. "It worked so good we lost our partners, we lost connection to the Human World…all so we can say we won…"

"We will leave these four beasts as new digimon to guard this world." The blue dragon said as clouds swarmed around its ethereal body. "They will be our emissaries to you, and will love you with all their hearts."

"What of us?" DORUmon asked, looking up at the four beasts. "We have no partners. What shall we do now? What's the meaning of our existence now that the world is set right?"

"We had not considered that…" The blue dragon whispered, looking to the other beasts.

"They will live, yet." The phoenix said, looking down at the bubble.

"Is that the existence they want?" The turtle asked.

"We would like to live with our partners." DemiMeramon said, gliding close to the edge of the bubble. "But someone made that damned well impossible!"

"You begged us to let them live, we did!" The bird retorted growling down at the small fireball.

"It would be unwise to risk them falling into the hands of Apocalymon…" The white tiger said, looking down at the group of five. "If they continued to live as they are, they will succumb to the depression; such a set of events could be disastrous."

"Then the decision is made." The dragon said, looking down at the digimon. "We will grant you the chance to sleep, to dream, to rest your minds and humors. We'll take you from this world and put you in a higher place, a better place where pain does not hurt and happiness is reality."

The dragon closed its eyes and suddenly the world disappeared. It was replaced by a new world of shapes and lines and streams that flooded the sky and then that world changed and they were standing next to their partners.

* * *

Haru walked down the street quietly. He grumbled slightly. Jiro was dancing around behind him. His short, blonde hair was hidden under a green hat. He was wearing a blue windbreaker and grey shorts. It was the last day of school. Summer was beginning.

"Summer! Summer, it's summer!" sang Jiro, off key. "You don't know how wonderful it is until its summer!"

"WILL YOU Stop…!" shouted Haru, but he stopped feeling strangeness in his chest and a bubbling sensation in his mind. The small boy stumbled forward in shock.

"I'm sorry, Haru," said the boy said quietly. "It's just…that it's…" The boy blinked, putting his finger to his lips. "I've…what's that feeling."

"Déjà vu." Haru said, he felt a cold chill flash up his spine and he turned looking to the sky.

"What is it?" Jiro asked, looking up at the empty, blue sky.

"I don't know…" Haru said, whispering quietly, as he looked up at the sky, expecting something anything to come out of the blue. Haru turned and looked at his brother. "Just weird huh? Let's go home."

The two brothers walked forward. They saw a boy staggering out of an alleyway. The boy fell onto Jiro and, knocked into Haru and then jumped to his feet, looking at the two. He wore black jeans and a black shirt. His skin was pale, against the dark clothing and against his black hair and dark colored eyes.

The world seemed to pulse as the brother's looked at the boy. As if the universe had convulsed, flipped over and then reoriented in a split second. The feeling dove through the brothers' bones as they looked at the boy in front of them.

"I'm…I'm sorry." The boy said, staggering backward as if in terror.

"It's ok." Jiro said, standing up and brushing his pants off. "What's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened and then he gulped. "My name's Yamada…Taku…"

"Weird…" A voice behind the boy said.

The two brothers looked beyond Taku to a young man in a maroon school uniform, carrying a bag. A few seconds later a young girl in a similar dress and uniform walked up behind him.

"What are you doing here, Kisho?" The girl asked, looking at the boy in the maroon uniform. "I thought you were…"

"I was…but I got all turned around, lost…it was weird and then…" Kisho looked up at Taku. "Then I was here and…that boy just said his name was Taku."

"What?" Taku gulped, looking at the kids around him. "I don't know what kind of weird joke this is…but…it's not funny."

"It's not a joke." The girl fumed, narrowing her eyes.

"Ren…" Kisho breathed through his teeth.

"Hey, Taku, do you like sweet buns?" Jiro asked, hopping forward, taking the darkly clothed child's hand.

Taku blinked, looking down at Jiro and his smiling face. "I…uh…guess so…"

"Then come home with us, my mom made some for us." Jiro said with a beaming grin.

"Jiro, I think Taku might have to get home…" Haru said, flicking a glare in Jiro's direction.

"Ah, come on…" Jiro said turning to his brother.

"Man I could go for some sweet buns…" Kisho said, sighing deeply.

"Don't invite yourself it's rude!" Ren said, smacking Kisho on the shoulder.

Taku flicked his eyes back to the girl and the boy and watched as Kisho impotently defending against the whaps he was getting from the girl. The brothers were arguing about inviting people home and Taku was in the middle of it. He couldn't help but feel a smile and laugh building up inside of him.

The other children looked at Taku as he started to laugh at their antics.

"I don't see what's so funny…" Haru said, crossing his arms.

"But it feels right." Jiro said, and started to giggle too.

"Now, I have to know more about this guy…" Kisho said as he walked towards Taku.

"Wait…" Ren said following the brown haired boy.

"Haru, please…" Jiro asked, in the middle of his giggling. "Can we have them over?"

Haru took a deep breath and pushed his lips to one side and then the other and finally nodded. "Yes, I suspect so, if only to find out why this all feels so weird."

And so, that was that. Taku protested weakly to the suggestion and though Ren and Kisho had further engagements, those engagements were hardly as enticing as something sweet to eat; they also acquiesced to Jiro's pleas.

* * *

**Epilogue: **

However, we all know that the Digital World was never the same. The Founders' interference would, in the end, draw the attention of Milleniummon, whose presence would create a small crack between Apocalymon's void and the Digital World. Furthermore the egress of the wicked-god to another universe with a different set of digi-destined would leave giant wakes that tore Guilmon and DORUmon from their eternal slumber in the realm of dreams.

Their stories are therein chronicled in other places, as are the stories of the resultant battles after Apocalymon, and the revival of the Crest of Darkness. However, it is the adventures of these five that was the catalyst of the other adventures…the genesis of those adventures.

* * *

**AN: This is the end of this story. Tell you the truth this didn't come out as I had hoped, or thought. I had initially just planned to kill Taku outright. However, I felt that was too much and over stepping the line. However, I didn't want to poof and making him alive again. There had to be a cost to be paid, and I think the epilogue (Which having the Genesis Guilmon and the Genesis DORUmon be the same Guilmon and DORUmon as in Tamers and X-Evolution was always part of the idea) does this well enough. **


End file.
